1
as in certain
having been established and usually not subject to change
hard-and-fast rules that governed the corporate environment in those days included strictures regarding office dress that were rigidly enforced
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unchangeable
not capable of changing or being changed
hard-and-fast beliefs that are the rock-solid foundation of their religion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of hard-and-fast
Final Thoughts Like most decision-making in business, there are no hard-and-fast rules.
—
Lisa Zeiderman, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Some of this came about due to the emergence of the internet and a hard-and-fast push to boost the conference and interactive space of SXSW.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Because no hard-and-fast medical test exists for ME/CFS, the condition is sometimes considered more of a psychological than physical ailment.
—New Atlas, 25 July 2025
One hard-and-fast requirement for playability is at least 16GB of unified RAM.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-and-fast
Lisa Zeiderman, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Some of this came about due to the emergence of the internet and a hard-and-fast push to boost the conference and interactive space of SXSW.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Because no hard-and-fast medical test exists for ME/CFS, the condition is sometimes considered more of a psychological than physical ailment.
—New Atlas, 25 July 2025
One hard-and-fast requirement for playability is at least 16GB of unified RAM.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-and-fast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-and-fast
Adjective
-
Navalny returned to Moscow in 2021, facing certain arrest.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Our status as creatures of God confers on us certain rights that can’t be handed over as part of the social contract, rights that are at once natural and inalienable.—
Christopher Beha,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Privacy advocates have warned about the risks of identity verification like World’s, as iris scans are unchangeable and could cause all manner of havoc in the wrong hands.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
On his first day back in office, Trump signed an executive order proclaiming that the U.S. recognizes only two unchangeable sexes, male and female.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Together, these elements allow the battery to remain stable, efficient, and electrically responsive even in harsh, winter-like environments.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Feb. 2026
-
To make your own homemade cold foam taste more like a frozen creamer, use heavy cream for the base; this helps create a richer, thicker, and more stable texture.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
For people accustomed to the idea that nature was eternal and unchanging, Holmes observes, the idea of extinction was profoundly troubling.—
Kathryn Schulz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Given the themes of mental illness and its treatments, those who follow meditation may note the allusion to the Blue Sky practice, where thoughts and emotions are seen as passing clouds against the backdrop of a constant, unchanging blue sky that represents the mind.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Unlike in the final hours before many previous funding deadlines, most lawmakers were not in Washington on Friday trying to negotiate a last-minute deal.—
Riley Beggin,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
And then the final piece of the puzzle was selling Rolling Stone.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Retirement age has been rising across the board for decades, although estimates range because there's no fixed definition for retirement.—
Paige Winfield Cunningham The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The film makes clear that the organization is exclusively the province of white, Anglo-Saxon men, and possible initiates are only tapped when the small, fixed group of existing members die.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The basic things — paying the electric bill, going to the doctor, keeping a roof over your head — get more expensive every day, while wages stay rock-bottom and jobs get harder and harder to find.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Temperatures in many parts of Texas remained below freezing for days, compounding stress on power plants, natural gas facilities, water systems and homes built for heat, not hard freezes.—
Newsroom Meteorologist,
Houston Chronicle,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hard-and-fast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-and-fast. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
