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.
Senior officials saw Gannon as uniquely suited for the role: a natural empath with an unusual ability to connect with people, and who had experience running hard-edged operations against America’s most critical targets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Obsession is maybe too hard-edged; interest too soft.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
Leiter is Israel's ambassador to the United States and a longtime ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and is well-versed in Israeli settler politics, conservative activism and hard-edged diplomacy.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
Born Joseph Ellis in Stockwell, London, he developed a distinctive sound that mixed hard-edged beats with emotional hooks; and worked with everyone from Chip and D Double E to Cher Lloyd and Ed Sheeran.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026
Life on Euclid Avenue had taught me—maybe forced me—to be hard-edged and practical about both time and money.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
