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

But the hard-nosed Cronin apparently couldn’t reach him while Michigan’s gentler Dusty May could and … hmmmm.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

Military training prepared him for the hard-nosed politics of running for city council in Jersey City, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

The Gunners would, in all likelihood, end up as unpopular, unloved champions as their hard-nosed approach comes under increasingly unflattering scrutiny.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

Good things have happened when people decided not to give up entirely and held on to that kind of hard-nosed faith.

From Slate • Mar. 4, 2026

Will Bates was Gary Edwards’s teacher in algebra II, which seemed amazing given the fact that Edwards was a Carter Cowboy and Bates was a hard-nosed grader who made no bones about flunking kids.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Related Words

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