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
Buffalo’s Alex Tuch, for example, fits the mold of the big, hard-nosed player that the Rangers tend to like.
—
Peter Baugh, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Sanae Takaichi, the pro-stimulus conservative poised to become Japan’s first female prime minister, is an energetic nationalist with a soft spot for the hard-nosed politics of Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher and the heavy metal music of Iron Maiden.
—Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2025
The first-team offense goes against the first-team defense with less elaborate play calls and more hard-nosed competition.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 17 Sep. 2025
The film stages its riot of activity as hard-nosed honesty, but its portrait is ultimately as ginned-up and inexact as the fictional news broadcast’s lurid prying.
—Richard Lawson, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-nosed
Peter Baugh, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Sanae Takaichi, the pro-stimulus conservative poised to become Japan’s first female prime minister, is an energetic nationalist with a soft spot for the hard-nosed politics of Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher and the heavy metal music of Iron Maiden.
—Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2025
The first-team offense goes against the first-team defense with less elaborate play calls and more hard-nosed competition.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 17 Sep. 2025
The film stages its riot of activity as hard-nosed honesty, but its portrait is ultimately as ginned-up and inexact as the fictional news broadcast’s lurid prying.
—Richard Lawson, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-nosed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-nosed
Adjective
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Month over month, that would be the same stubborn pace that has persisted for more than two years.—
Steve Kopack,
NBC news,
24 Oct. 2025
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Results show that microbial iron mining can immobilize toxic metals and convert stubborn pollutants into less harmful compounds.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Back in January 2024, when Sportico was first to report on Florida State’s conversations with Sixth Street and Arctos Partners, many around the process were adamant to point out that those conversations were private credit (or private capital), not private equity.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
22 Oct. 2025
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Giuffre was adamant that the pain, including several attempts at suicide in the past few years, was part of her story.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Davis, a staunch libertarian, is one of the company’s steadfast defenders.—
David Peisner,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
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Odinga, who served prison time for his steadfast support for democracy and political reform, played a critical role in replacing a colonial-era charter with the country’s current constitution, which imposes clearer limits on presidential power.—
Ian Bremmer,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The extruder gears and rods are made from hardened steel, which resists wear.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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Even a hardened home has weaknesses—in this case, a flammable window frame and unclosed eaves—that can lead to failure.—
Ingfei Chen,
New Yorker,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hard-nosed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-nosed. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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