hard-nosed

American  

[hahrd-nohzd] / ˈhɑrdˌnoʊzd /

Or hardnosed

adjective

Informal.

1. hardheaded or tough; unsentimentally practical.

   a hard-nosed labor leader.

   Synonyms:

   inflexible, stubborn, rigid, intractable, down-to-earth, realistic

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hard-nosed British  

adjective

1. informal tough, shrewd, and practical

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Etymology

Origin of hard-nosed

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

And so another alliance was born: unlikely, unsentimental, hard nosed, clear eyed and dead set on driving poverty into history.

From Time Magazine Archive

And so another alliance was born: unlikely, unsentimental, hard nosed, clear eyed and dead set on driving poverty into history.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• hard-boiled
• hardheaded
• no-nonsense
• tough-minded
• uncompromising