hard-headed
Britishadjective
-
tough, realistic, or shrewd; not moved by sentiment
-
stubborn; obstinate
Other Word Forms
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“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 ● Jan. 29, 2026
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 ● Jan. 18, 2026
Andrew Cuomo—the hard-headed former governor of New York state —became something of a national hero in 2020 with his no-nonsense press conferences.
From Slate ● Mar. 11, 2025
Markus Berger of Switzerland Tourism says the strategy is not to focus solely on high-end guests, but to take a hard-headed look at the figures.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2025
He really knew they were air castles, for at bottom he was hard-headed, not easily taken in even by his own exuberant imagination.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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.
