as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
a case-hardened homicide detective who has seen it all
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for case-hardened
Adjective
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The film centers on a car rental company owner who accidentally witnesses a murder, making him and his family targets of a ruthless gang.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
17 Mar. 2026 -
Inspired by the book and 2003 Belgian film De zaak Alzheimer, the Fox psychological thriller series trades on Dempsey’s decades of goodwill as a beloved romantic lead to turn a ruthless killer into an antihero worth rooting for.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But the quagmire is made worse by the question of what audiences want in an age of abundant at-home entertainment options, tighter budgets and general fatigue from the merciless grind of modern life.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
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In between, the Ball Arena patrons were merciless in their jeering of the officials.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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With a 15 percent slope and soils consisting of shattered rock and very stony loam with a small percentage of clay, the soil is low in organic matter and drains extremely well.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
22 Feb. 2026
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The sculptor, David Adickes, was an Army veteran who'd wanted his stony visages to gleam.—
Danielle Paquette The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Their camaraderie had been crystallized, too.—
Maria Torres,
New York Times,
14 Mar. 2026
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In a March 2026 interview with THR, O’Brien said his appearance on Hot Ones in 2024 was the moment everything crystallized.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The only issue is his mother Laura (Wright), a woman who has lost a child once before and is petrified of a repeat.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Case-hardened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/case-hardened. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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