1
as in smart
having or showing a practical cleverness or judgment
a hardheaded politician who never hesitated to set aside principle in favor of expediency
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stubborn
sticking to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
Granny remained hardheaded about keeping her house and not moving into a nursing home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in pragmatic
willing to see things as they really are and deal with them sensibly
a hardheaded minister who understands the difficulties teenagers face today
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hardheaded
In the complicated, thorny, offensive, manipulative, sometimes hilarious, sometimes uncomfortable video interview, which evokes the feeling of an uncle sitting down with his hardheaded nephew, Thug is reeling and full of so much anxiety that his legs are shaking.
—
Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 11 Sep. 2025
Flash mobs in the Loop are a real problem demanding hardheaded solutions.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025
British officials know this and sometimes despair that their country has not found a way to be more hardheaded.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
The messy middle refers to the difficult decisions that need to be made, guided by science and hardheaded economics.
—Nick Rockel, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hardheaded
Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 11 Sep. 2025
Flash mobs in the Loop are a real problem demanding hardheaded solutions.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025
British officials know this and sometimes despair that their country has not found a way to be more hardheaded.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
The messy middle refers to the difficult decisions that need to be made, guided by science and hardheaded economics.
—Nick Rockel, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hardheaded
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardheaded
Adjective
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Going beyond the basics of a typical smart scale, the MorphoScan breaks down segmental muscle and fat for each arm, each leg, and your torso, similar to a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan, which is essentially a medical imagery test to gauge these same attributes.—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
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Police in Ann Arbor want all fans coming to town to celebrate this weekend to make smart decisions.—
Terell Bailey,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Across the Rockies and beyond, many of our favorite mountains were haunted by unseasonably warm spikes and stubborn weather patterns that shut out snow for weeks on end.—
Kristen Geil,
Outside,
31 Mar. 2026
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For stubborn blockages, a plumber’s snake can help break things loose.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Many are pragmatic, serious, non-populists.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Every Connecticut citizen is better off from Lamont’s playbook of pragmatic resistance.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Jordan Page The Camelback Group Jordan Page has built a reputation in the Arizona real estate industry for his shrewd marketing instincts and outside-the-box strategies, earning recognition as an agent who understands how to make listings stand out in a crowded, highly competitive market.—
Connie Etemadi,
AZCentral.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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Gala, ever the shrewd businesswoman, secured sponsorship from the Museum of Modern Art.—
Serena Turner,
Vanity Fair,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Warsh has been adamant about wanting to ease monetary policy.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
3 Apr. 2026
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But Dugalić was adamant on a normal-length college career.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Pelle Larsson added 20 points and a career-high 10 rebounds for Miami (40-36), which kept some realistic hope of getting out of the play-in tournament range — or at least getting into one of the top two spots and therefore assuring itself two chances of making the playoffs — alive with the win.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
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Beneficiaries auto‑renewed without reviewing plan changes Many people were automatically re‑enrolled in plans that later cut benefits or raised costs, leaving March 31 as their last realistic chance to mitigate financial damage for 2026.—
Amanda Greenwood,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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There are also deleted scenes and a trailer, and an accompanying booklet is stuffed with informative essays and interviews (including an analysis by the always astute film noir expert Travis Woods).—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
1 Apr. 2026
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This hotel offers good deals for its prime location on Saint-Paul, easily Old Montreal's nicest shopping street, so the guests are astute travelers with taste.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Sagittarius November 22 – December 21 Your big vision is about to meet a practical checkpoint.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
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His practical advice fares better than both his theories and his pallid attempts at profundity.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hardheaded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardheaded. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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