hard-edged
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of hard-edged
First recorded in 1950–55
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.
Led by Busby’s machine-gun mandolin riffs and hair-raising tenor, the band had a hard-edged bluegrass-style sound that was a far cry from the homogenized, syrupy country-and-western slop heard around town.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
It doesn’t help that the vice presidents constantly runs down his wife in speeches, comments he tries to play off as jokes, but which are too hard-edged to sell as jovial.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
Sir Keir argued he has made "hard-edged" choices, including getting every department to make cuts to pay for defence.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
‘My Government Means to Kill Me,’ a hard-edged, cameo-filled novel of AIDS-riddled 1980s New York, has been ‘bubblng’ in Newson’s head for years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
Volpe’s mother was “the centerpiece of the family. The hard-edged one and the ruler.”
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
![]()
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.