hardheaded
Americanadjective
-
not easily moved or deceived; practical; shrewd.
- Synonyms:
- down-to-earth, cool, pragmatic, realistic, astute
-
obstinate; stubborn; willful.
Other Word Forms
- hardheadedly adverb
- hardheadedness noun
Etymology
Origin of hardheaded
First recorded in 1575–85
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.
Even worse are the hardheaded dollars-and-cents realists of Wall Street who take this new reality as a given.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 2, 2025
“But of course, I’m hardheaded and got on social media.”
From Seattle Times • Jun. 14, 2023
I was hardheaded, self-contained and struggled to show affection toward the people I loved.
From Salon • Dec. 15, 2022
If there are two takeaways from “Eat Your Mind: The Radical Life and Work of Kathy Acker,” a smart and sympathetic but hardheaded new biography by the Toronto journalist Jason McBride, they are these.
From New York Times • Nov. 21, 2022
We may be hardheaded and I know we’re far too proud, but, in the hour of need, believe me that there’s no one you’d rather have at your side than a Pashtun.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
