as in strict
not allowing for any exceptions or loosening of standards
a hard-line approach to the sentencing of repeat offenders
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Recent Examples of hard-line
There was no hard-line negotiating.
—
Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 17 Aug. 2025
This position placed Tajzadeh on the front lines of the battle over democratization that unfolded between Khatami’s government and the hard-line establishment that eventually defeated it.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 8 Aug. 2025
In Putnam County, where a decisive 83% of voters backed Trump in 2024, the story of Rocher — a church volunteer who has become a bridge between Haitians and longtime residents — is challenging some to grapple with their party’s hard-line immigration views.
—Daniela Pierre-Bravo, NBC news, 6 Aug. 2025
Any sense that history trends in a general direction—toward freedom, perhaps, or toward rights, markets, secularism, or science—is confounded by a large, prosperous country becoming a hard-line semi-theocracy.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-line
Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 17 Aug. 2025
This position placed Tajzadeh on the front lines of the battle over democratization that unfolded between Khatami’s government and the hard-line establishment that eventually defeated it.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 8 Aug. 2025
In Putnam County, where a decisive 83% of voters backed Trump in 2024, the story of Rocher — a church volunteer who has become a bridge between Haitians and longtime residents — is challenging some to grapple with their party’s hard-line immigration views.
—Daniela Pierre-Bravo, NBC news, 6 Aug. 2025
Any sense that history trends in a general direction—toward freedom, perhaps, or toward rights, markets, secularism, or science—is confounded by a large, prosperous country becoming a hard-line semi-theocracy.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hard-line
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-line
Adjective
-
Without a strict hierarchy or single decision-maker, our process can sometimes be slow, messy, or even tiring.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
-
At too many colleges, leaders have been reluctant to impose strict rules or harsh penalties for chatbot use, passing the buck to professors to come up with their own policies.—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
For the next six years, Kira endured a rigorous drug treatment regime and was frequently in and out of hospitals.—
Ruchi Kumar,
NPR,
14 Sep. 2025
-
During a break in the rigorous shooting schedule for the limited series, which also stars Emma Corrin and Jack Lowden, Partridge was able to squeeze in the trip with old college friends.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hard-line.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-line. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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