as in stubborn
sticking to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
the team's hard-nosed coach doesn't make exceptions for anybody
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hard-nosed
Comets head coach Stefan Stokic remembers those days well as an iconic, hard-nosed player, scoring twice in the Comets’ defeat of Baltimore in December 2016.
—
Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2026
One year ago, Georgetown was deemed too small and too inexperienced – yet the Royals developed a hard-nosed defensive identity that led to their first state championship in program history.
—Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
For Chinese leader Xi Jinping, a hard-nosed pragmatism is at play.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026
While seemingly every other player struggled to hit shots or got in foul trouble, the 5-foot-7 Booher played an integral role, running the offense, making two key shots and playing hard-nosed defense in the Corsairs’ 41-37 loss to Rolling Meadows.
—Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hard-nosed
Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2026
One year ago, Georgetown was deemed too small and too inexperienced – yet the Royals developed a hard-nosed defensive identity that led to their first state championship in program history.
—Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
For Chinese leader Xi Jinping, a hard-nosed pragmatism is at play.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026
While seemingly every other player struggled to hit shots or got in foul trouble, the 5-foot-7 Booher played an integral role, running the offense, making two key shots and playing hard-nosed defense in the Corsairs’ 41-37 loss to Rolling Meadows.
—Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hard-nosed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-nosed
Adjective
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Jared Speight is a stubborn titan of Long Island abstraction when star writer Roxy Margaux first becomes infatuated with his bravado.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
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For concrete or tile, a mild cleaner helps remove the stubborn pollen film that builds up over spring months.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The characters can be flawed, and cars can crash, McDermott says, but NASCAR wanted race scenes to look authentic and was adamant that the series not depict anyone driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2026
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Warsh would take the chairmanship at a complicated time, given that a spike in gas prices could keep the central bank from lowering interest rates — a move that Trump has been adamant on.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But certainly nothing may have damaged their trust more than the steadfast assertions that the COVID vaccines were able to stop infection and transmission.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
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Their families both have expressed steadfast support of Broadnax's execution.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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With Hathaway as a hardened journalist who haplessly lands herself into the center of a conflict in El Salvador, the film is somewhat at sea, allowing itself and the audience to get swept away by an unmoored plot.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
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That step would signal a change in how the military plans to counter hardened and time-sensitive targets in the region.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hard-nosed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-nosed. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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