hard-headed
Britishadjective
-
tough, realistic, or shrewd; not moved by sentiment
-
stubborn; obstinate
Other Word Forms
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.
This is "proof that our pragmatic, hard-headed international engagement brings benefits at home", he added.
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026
“Having already slashed tariffs on whisky exports to India, we’re now doing the same with China—proof that our pragmatic, hard-headed international engagement brings benefits at home,” Starmer said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
Andrew Cuomo—the hard-headed former governor of New York state —became something of a national hero in 2020 with his no-nonsense press conferences.
From Slate ● Mar. 11, 2025
“Surprisingly,” said Halpern, “I found in my interviews that some very hard-headed astrophysicists who are very knowledgeable see the idea of a multiverse as enticing.”
From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2024
He really knew they were air castles, for at bottom he was hard-headed, not easily taken in even by his own exuberant imagination.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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.
