- a variation of hardheaded.
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.
Her impression was that Sami’s “motives for buying these experiences were primarily personal, rather than hard-headed business ones.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
“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
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
Thank God I was hard-headed and I still persevered with a refugee travel document and was able to push and travel to 20-plus countries without a passport.
From Salon ● Feb. 11, 2025
She’s got a point—if my stubborn, hard-headed brother decided he was going to look for me, no one would be able to stop him.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
