hard power

British  

noun

1. the ability to achieve one's goals by force, esp military force Compare soft power

---

Example Sentences

Senior Pentagon officials have expressed a commitment to rebuilding American hard power.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 2, 2025

If we burn that trust, our hard power won't save us.

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2025

Unlike the so-called hard power stance of building up a military or a stock of munitions and weapons to deter global rivals, these kinds of “soft power” diplomatic moves take a more subtle approach.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2024

"Right now we're seeing a hard power moment. That is not the environment where Canada shines," he said.

From BBC • Sep. 23, 2023

The voice of a woman, harsh, high, and angrily complaining—a voice with all the freshness and the melody gone, and with nothing but the hard power of it left—was the discordantly predominant sound.

From Armadale by Collins, Wilkie