hard-boiled

[ hahrd-boild ]

/ ˈhɑrdˈbɔɪld /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR hard-boiled ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

Cookery. (of an egg) boiled in the shell long enough for the yolk and white to solidify.

Informal. tough; unsentimental: a hard-boiled vice-squad detective.

marked by a direct, clear-headed approach; realistic: a hard-boiled appraisal of the foreign situation.

(of detective fiction) written in a laconic, dispassionate, often ironic style for a realistic, unsentimental effect.

Origin of hard-boiled

1715–25; 1895–80 for def 2; hard + boiled

OTHER WORDS FROM hard-boiled

hard-boiled·ness, noun

Words nearby hard-boiled

hard-ass, hard-asset, hard-bill, hard-bitten, hard-boil, hard-boiled, hard-case, hard-coated, hard-core, hard-edge, hard-edged

Definition for hard-boiled (2 of 2)

hard-boil

[ hahrd-boil ]

/ ˈhɑrdˈbɔɪl /

verb (used with object)

to boil (an egg) until the yolk and white have become firm or solid.

Origin of hard-boil

First recorded in 1890–95

Example sentences from the Web for hard-boiled

They are poached instead of hard-boiled, boasting anti-heroes with nihilistic worldviews who are nevertheless vulnerable.

‘True Detective,’ Obsessive-Compulsive Noir, and ‘Twin Peaks’ |Jimmy So |March 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
On a lighter note, your character in the film has an interesting eating habit: he eats two hard-boiled eggs a day.

Christopher Plummer on Muhammad Ali and Getting a Police Horse Drunk |Marlow Stern |October 5, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Because it lacks the stylish voice of a hard-boiled detective noir, it sometimes feels coldly industrious.

This Week’s Hot Reads: July 29, 2013 |Jessica Ferri, Damaris Colhoun |July 29, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Since this fall, though, as the governing got tough, the president has been avoiding fiction for some hard-boiled history.

The Barack Obama Book Club |Samuel P. Jacobs |August 13, 2010 |DAILY BEAST

The course looked like a fine senior year coast through some hard-boiled paperbacks, certainly nothing life-changing.

Hardass With a Heart of Gold |John Douglas Marshall |May 24, 2009 |DAILY BEAST
Serve them in the same way, with slices of truffles instead of hard-boiled eggs.

Hand-Book of Practical Cookery for Ladies and Professional Cooks |Pierre Blot
Cut the hard-boiled eggs in quarters and place them on the top of the vegetables, cover with a crust, and bake until it is brown.

The Allinson Vegetarian Cookery Book |Thomas R. Allinson
When about to serve, dip the mold in hot water, turn out on a dish, garnish with lettuce leaves or parsley and hard-boiled eggs.

Culture and Cooking |Catherine Owen
Mix the yolks of hard-boiled eggs with the chicken, adding enough mayonnaise to make the mixture easily into balls.

The Myrtle Reed Cook Book |Myrtle Reed
He saw on a barrow some hard-boiled eggs which had been dyed various colours, evidently for children.

From Workhouse to Westminster |George Haw

British Dictionary definitions for hard-boiled

hard-boiled

adjective

(of an egg) boiled until the yolk and white are solid

informal

tough, realistic
cynical

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

hard-boiled

adjective

Origin of hard-boiled

OTHER WORDS FROM hard-boiled

Words nearby hard-boiled

Definition for hard-boiled (2 of 2)

verb (used with object)

Origin of hard-boil

Example sentences from the Web for hard-boiled

British Dictionary definitions for hard-boiled

adjective

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

hard-boiled

adjective

Origin of hard-boiled

OTHER WORDS FROM hard-boiled

Words nearby hard-boiled

Definition for hard-boiled (2 of 2)

verb (used with object)

Origin of hard-boil

Words related to hard-boiled

Example sentences from the Web for hard-boiled

British Dictionary definitions for hard-boiled

adjective