Synonyms
- adamant
- adamantine
- bullheaded
- dogged
- hard
- hardened
- hardheaded
- headstrong
- immovable
- implacable
- inconvincible
- inflexible
- intransigent
- mulish
- obdurate
- obstinate
- opinionated
- ossified
- pat
- pertinacious
- perverse
- pigheaded
- self-opinionated
- self-willed
- stiff-necked
- stubborn
- unbending
- uncompromising
- unrelenting
- unyielding
- willful
- wilful
Examples of hard-nosed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lorene and hard-nosed brothel madam Mrs. Kipfer (Michelle Liu Coughlin) are written pretty close to type, but Mercado and Coughlin breathe appealing life into them.
—
Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 13 Apr. 2024
As the mother of humanity’s future savior against legions of killer robots, Sarah Connor would likely balk at General Eleanor McCallister, Hamilton’s character on the Syfy series, a hard-nosed officer who initially opposes and then later joins forces with Alan Tudyk’s titular alien.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
McCarthy was a fan favorite at LAFC, as much for his plain-spoken, hard-nosed personality as for his play in goal.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
In the 1982 film, Gere plays Zack Mayo, an aspiring Navy aviator who clashes with his hard-nosed drill instructor, Gunnery Sgt.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 30 Mar. 2024
Then there was Martinez, as brilliant and hard-nosed a political mind as Padilla and married to Gerry Guzman, a former district director for Fuentes and Bocanegra.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024
There were stars on the court both literally and figuratively, as the celebrities' hard-nosed approach to what is normally a lighthearted game and the NBA's new LED court were the major draws.
—Rory Appleton, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024
With their hard-nosed victory over Big 12 newcomer BYU over the weekend, Kansas State climbed to No. 2 in the latest AP Top 25, matching the best ranking in school history.
—Dave Skretta, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024
Stallone will play a hard-nosed police detective about to retire, but who must team up with a younger cop and former priest to stop a serial killer on a murderous crusade through the wintery streets of Philadelphia.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2024
Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 13 Apr. 2024
As the mother of humanity’s future savior against legions of killer robots, Sarah Connor would likely balk at General Eleanor McCallister, Hamilton’s character on the Syfy series, a hard-nosed officer who initially opposes and then later joins forces with Alan Tudyk’s titular alien.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
McCarthy was a fan favorite at LAFC, as much for his plain-spoken, hard-nosed personality as for his play in goal.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
In the 1982 film, Gere plays Zack Mayo, an aspiring Navy aviator who clashes with his hard-nosed drill instructor, Gunnery Sgt.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 30 Mar. 2024
Then there was Martinez, as brilliant and hard-nosed a political mind as Padilla and married to Gerry Guzman, a former district director for Fuentes and Bocanegra.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024
There were stars on the court both literally and figuratively, as the celebrities' hard-nosed approach to what is normally a lighthearted game and the NBA's new LED court were the major draws.
—Rory Appleton, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024
With their hard-nosed victory over Big 12 newcomer BYU over the weekend, Kansas State climbed to No. 2 in the latest AP Top 25, matching the best ranking in school history.
—Dave Skretta, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024
Stallone will play a hard-nosed police detective about to retire, but who must team up with a younger cop and former priest to stop a serial killer on a murderous crusade through the wintery streets of Philadelphia.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hard-nosed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hard-nosed
Cite this Entry
“Hard-nosed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard-nosed. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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