hardball

American  

[hahrd-bawl] / ˈhɑrdˌbɔl /

noun

1. baseball, as distinguished from softball.

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adjective

1. tough or ruthless.

   He wasn't ready for the hardball politics of Washington.

2. outspoken, challenging, or difficult.

   Reporters asked the president some hardball questions.

idioms

1. play hardball, to act or work aggressively, competitively, or ruthlessly, as in business or politics.

hardball British  

/ ˈhɑːdbɔːl /

noun

1. baseball as distinct from softball

2. informal to act in a ruthless or uncompromising way

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Etymology

Origin of hardball

First recorded in 1825–35; hard + ball ¹

Explanation

If you want to play hardball, you’re not messing around. You’re a shrewd negotiator and you’ll do anything to get what you want. Or maybe you just want to play baseball, which is also known as hardball. You can use the slightly old-fashioned hardball for this all-American sport, particularly to distinguish it from softball, which is played with similar rules but a larger, slightly softer ball. You can also use the word informally to mean "ruthless methods." So if a businessperson, politician, or journalist plays hardball, they’re being super competitive and try to win at all costs.

Example Sentences

Live Nation’s biggest competitor, Anschutz Entertainment Group, is likely to talk about how its rival plays hardball to keep its promotion and ticketing business.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

And Variety has noted that persistent hardball could win these companies FCC favor—but also inspire Disney to no longer offer ABC as an affiliate option when negotiations between networks and broadcasters come up next year.

From Slate • Sep. 23, 2025

Still, he wasn’t surprised to see business leaders start playing hardball.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025

Washington and the 27-nation bloc have both played hardball and neither was ready to give in easily, which is why these talks went down to the wire.

From BBC • Jul. 27, 2025

You want to play hardball, Brooklyn thought as she looked at her rival.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti