hard-hitting

[ hahrd-hit-ing ]

See synonyms for hard-hitting on Thesaurus.com

adjective

striking or capable of striking with force.
strikingly or effectively forceful: a hard-hitting exposé.

Origin of hard-hitting

First recorded in 1830–40

Words Nearby hard-hitting

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hard-hitting in a sentence

Can music be both milquetoast and hard-hitting at the same time?
Jennifer Lopez’s ‘A.K.A.’ Is Terrible. What Happened to Her Music? | Kevin Fallon | June 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Are you going to mix it up with celebrities, or include mostly hard-hitting subjects?
John Oliver on ‘Last Week Tonight,’ Turning Down CBS, and ‘Nauseating’ American Politics | Marlow Stern | May 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The taste is intense, with hard-hitting wormwood flavor and lemony undertones.
The Absinthe-Minded Porteños of Buenos Aires | Jeff Campagna | March 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Ann Romney did much better, with her hard-hitting theme: Mitt Romney does not fail at what he undertakes.
Ann Romney Scores, Chris Christie Misses | David Frum | August 29, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The result is a hard-hitting drama that deals with the unknowable impulses of the universe and of the human heart itself.
The Best and Worst TV Shows of the Year | Jace Lacob | December 19, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST

He had latterly taken a fancy to wild-fowl shooting by the coast, for which a very hard-hitting, long-range gun was needed.
The Hills and the Vale | Richard Jefferies
The plain profile of this man reminds one of the hard-hitting, rough-riding Roundhead.
The Broken Sword | Dennison Worthington
For all purposes except the actual hard-hitting they are the most useful weapon which the commander of the fleet possesses.
The Romance of War Inventions | Thomas W. Corbin
Ken went out deeper, for he knew most hard-hitting left-handers hit to right field.
The Young Pitcher | Zane Grey
That brought it to the last one, who chanced to be the hard-hitting catcher, Ballinger.
Fast Nine | Alan Douglas

British Dictionary definitions for hard-hitting

hard-hitting

adjective

uncompromising; tough: a hard-hitting report on urban deprivation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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