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• die-hard
  die-hard

  noun

  a person who vigorously maintains or defends a seemingly hopeless position, outdated attitude, lost cause, or the like.
• die hard
  die hard

  Take a long time to cease to exist or be dropped from consideration. For example, Old prejudices die hard, or The more radical parts of this proposal will die hard. This idiom alludes to struggling against physical death. [Late 1700s]

die-hard

American  

[dahy-hahrd] / ˈdaɪˌhɑrd /

Or diehard

noun

1. a person who vigorously maintains or defends a seemingly hopeless position, outdated attitude, lost cause, or the like.

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adjective

1. resisting vigorously and stubbornly to the last; stubborn.

die-hard British  

noun

1. a person who resists change or who holds onto an untenable position or outdated attitude

2. (modifier) obstinately resistant to change

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die hard Idioms  

1. Take a long time to cease to exist or be dropped from consideration. For example, Old prejudices die hard, or The more radical parts of this proposal will die hard. This idiom alludes to struggling against physical death. [Late 1700s]

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Other Word Forms

• die-hardism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of die-hard

First recorded in 1835–45; noun, adj. use of verb phrase die hard

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

die-hard die hard

There’s not much here, unless you’re a “House of the Dragon” die-hard.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

Many die-hard fans claim 1993 was the last of the old-school Glastonbury Festivals.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

“First Take” host and fellow die-hard Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith reposted on X a graphic calling for Lee to receive a ring for his “decades of loyalty.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026

The New York Knicks made the NBA Finals’ craziest comeback last night, but some die-hard fans were already asleep.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

Boyles was a die-hard booster, one of those who set his life each fall to the clock of the season.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Yet the saying has persisted because old patterns die hard.

From Barron's ● May 1, 2026

Despite some confusion about the path forward, old habits apparently die hard.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 2, 2026

Professional football is America’s guilty pleasure—and guilty pleasures die hard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025

And as City move within sight of another trophy, Guardiola proved once more that even amid unaccustomed struggles, old trophy-winning habits die hard for great managers and players.

From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2025

It’s been her modus operandi since I met her, and old habits die hard.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

Related Words

• old-line
• uncompromising