1
: being tough, stubborn, or uncompromising
2

Examples of hard-nosed in a Sentence

the team's hard-nosed coach doesn't make exceptions for anybody
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In this dangerous setting, the United States will need to rediscover diplomacy in its classical form—not as a bag carrier for an all-powerful military or as a purveyor of global norms, but as a hard-nosed instrument of strategy. A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025 He’s made a career of playing hard-nosed heroes, wiseguys, and dirtbags. Sezin Devi Koehler, EW.com, 21 Apr. 2025 Gudas opposed him in the final and after draping a gold medal around his neck last spring, the hard-nosed defenseman and Ducks captain might add another piece of hardware – as well as a $25,000 donation to the charity of his choice – for a very different reason. Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 15 Apr. 2025 Even as Paraguay continues to shock CONMEBOL and Africa’s state of qualifying has sprung some surprises, New Zealand, 86th in FIFA’s world ranking, will need to incorporate at least some of the hard-nosed approach that made 2010 a galvanizing moment. Jeff Rueter, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hard-nosed

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hard-nosed was in 1917

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Cite this Entry

“Hard-nosed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard-nosed. Accessed 1 May. 2025.

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