hard-headed

British  

adjective

1. tough, realistic, or shrewd; not moved by sentiment

2. stubborn; obstinate

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Other Word Forms

• hard-headedly adverb
• hard-headedness noun

Example Sentences

This is "proof that our pragmatic, hard-headed international engagement brings benefits at home", he added.

From BBC

“Having already slashed tariffs on whisky exports to India, we’re now doing the same with China—proof that our pragmatic, hard-headed international engagement brings benefits at home,” Starmer said.

From The Wall Street Journal

But at least mainstream journalists have mostly stopped making excuses for that, or framing it as the “transactional” thinking of a hard-headed businessman.

From Salon

"We have to be hard-headed," warns Rakib Ehsan, a Senior Fellow at the conservative think tank Policy Exchange,.

From BBC

Levy's reputation as a hard-headed businessman - with former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson famously describing him as "more painful to deal with than a hip replacement" - disguised a rarely-seen softer side.

From BBC

Related Words

• astute
• hard-nosed
• headstrong
• obstinate
• practical
• pragmatic
• rational
• sensible
• shrewd
• sober
• unsentimental