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
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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
Kayce sells Yellowstone Ranch for $1.25 an acre and Elsa Dutton rises from the dead to declare victory
Kayce cryptically suggested the Yellowstone sale at the end of last week's episode, and the hardheaded financial wonder Beth loved the idea.
—
Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
When Buck resigned, the conservative cited a flank of the Republican Party’s hardheaded politics and unwavering devotion to Trump — traits that made Boebert a name brand.
—Jesse Bedayn, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024
There’s a poignancy in this confession, but also a hardheaded aspect.
—Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 2 June 2024
Over his lifetime, Aron was a hardheaded defender of liberal values in the face of fascist and totalitarian ideological challengers.
—Raymond Aron, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hardheaded
Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
When Buck resigned, the conservative cited a flank of the Republican Party’s hardheaded politics and unwavering devotion to Trump — traits that made Boebert a name brand.
—Jesse Bedayn, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024
There’s a poignancy in this confession, but also a hardheaded aspect.
—Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 2 June 2024
Over his lifetime, Aron was a hardheaded defender of liberal values in the face of fascist and totalitarian ideological challengers.
—Raymond Aron, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hardheaded
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardheaded
Adjective
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Use of cellphones, smart watches and accessories is prohibited in the performance space.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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Welcome to the age of conversational mobility, where natural dialogue with your car is becoming as routine as checking the weather on a smart speaker.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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For Baxter and the stubborn Scot, this marked, at last, the reality of war’s end.—
Charles Pellegrino,
Rolling Stone,
6 Aug. 2025
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Here’s the case for Scorpio: Wednesday is suss, secretive, brooding, vengeful and stubborn.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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There is a hopeful lesson for the coming years in the transition from Mao’s radical socialism to Deng’s more pragmatic policy of reform and opening.—
TYLER JOST,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Aug. 2025
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Those who oppose pragmatic infrastructure decisions, including new gas pipelines, are not being realistic about the state of energy today.—
Linda Baran,
New York Daily News,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But Tocqueville’s shrewder observation is that rising legal and economic equality indirectly produces social inequality as the dominant class is forced to confront the prospect of forfeiting its dominance.—
Andrea Long Chu,
Vulture,
5 Aug. 2025
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The Houston Astros might have been the shrewdest deadline buyer.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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However, Coast Guard officials were adamant that FEMA makes the ultimate decision, and that FEMA’s choices may differ from the Coast Guard’s recommendations.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
30 July 2025
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However, she’s remained adamant that to pull off paying homage to the famed actress, everything must be done right.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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An astute judge of talent, Reid also suggested John Bonham fill the drum chair in Led Zeppelin.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Aug. 2025
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Andy, in his most astute moment of the episode, points out that Jax does have control.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But even if that doesn't end up being realistic, this is still a pretty neat bit of physics.—
Andrew Cunningham,
ArsTechnica,
14 Aug. 2025
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These regions make retiring in Italy a realistic, rewarding dream.—
Kathleen Peddicord,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Open banking never had a moment like that in Western markets, a large-scale, practical reason for consumers to try something new.—
Mustafa Khanwala,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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For Kahani, the shift was both philosophical and practical.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hardheaded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardheaded. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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