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hard-bitten

American  
[hahrd-bit-n] / ˈhɑrdˈbɪt n /

adjective

  1. tough; stubborn.

  2. conditioned by battle or struggle.

    a hard-bitten army.

  3. grim or severe in judgment or attitude.

    a hard-bitten old teacher.

  4. hard-boiled.

hard-bitten British  

adjective

  1. tough and realistic

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hard-bitten

First recorded in 1775–85

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.