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
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Recent Examples of hard-and-fast
There’s no hard-and-fast rule, and if someone tells you there is?
—
Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 28 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for hard-and-fast
Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 28 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for hard-and-fast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-and-fast
Adjective
-
Often, this is a useful guideline, and limits, in general, are very much the friend of the fiction writer, but there are certain stories that benefit from a sense of instability.—
Nina Mesfin,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
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For certain great artists, Meis believes, the creative act is a safe harbor where life’s pressures, exigencies, and calamities aren’t so much denied or resolved as reimagined as pictorial dramas.—
Jed Perl,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Coachability used to be considered a mostly unchangeable personality trait; these days, it’s seen as a set of skills that can be developed.—
Alex Hutchinson,
Outside,
22 Mar. 2026
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Fifteen other states have made a similar change in the past few years — and President Donald Trump issued an executive order declaring that there are only two unchangeable sexes.—
Jo Yurcaba,
NBC news,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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One person from the crash was transported to the hospital and is in stable condition, Philadelphia police said.—
Eva Andersen,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
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November 22 – December 21 Sagittarius, your spark finds a stable rhythm.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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This constant, unchanging, repetitive loading of a treadmill can irritate tissue and lead to knee issues, Holland says.—
Danielle Zickl,
Outside,
8 Mar. 2026
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To create this constant, unchanging reality, teachers need people to show them how to create this who have already created it themselves, the way a carpenter has made many, many tables.—
Scott Ervin,
Boston Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The siting of the rites at the Colosseum—where it has been held since 1964, echoing a practice from the eighteenth century—means that the Pope enacts Jesus’ final hours not in a Baroque basilica but against the backdrop of the Roman Empire, which exercised power through violence.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
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Ultralight pilot David Shelton filed a complaint with the FAA in October that, after back-and-forth responses with Yuba County’s attorneys, concluded with final responses in March.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The city says extending it to seniors could be a big help for older adults living on a fixed income.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
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There is no fixed income threshold for hardship status.—
Deane Biermeier,
USA Today,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Sleeping positions and firmness Beyond mattress type, your preferred sleep position and mattress firmness (how hard or soft a bed feels) are other important factors to consider when buying a mattress.—
Sharon Brandwein,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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But these funding mechanisms can be hard to understand, from school bonds and GO bonds to tax levies and earnings taxes.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hard-and-fast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-and-fast. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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