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hard-nosed

or hard·nosed

[ hahrd-nohzd ]

/ ˈhɑrdˌnoʊzd /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR hard-nosed ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Informal.

hardheaded or tough; unsentimentally practical: a hard-nosed labor leader.

Origin of hard-nosed

First recorded in 1885–90

SYNONYMS FOR hard-nosed

realistic, down-to-earth; intractable, rigid, stubborn, inflexible.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR hard-nosed ON THESAURUS.COM

Words nearby hard-nosed

hard-laid, hard-line, hard-liner, hard-mouthed, hard-nose, hard-nosed, hard-of-hearing, hard-on, hard-pressed, hard-put, hard-rock

Example sentences from the Web for hard-nosed

Normally an air accident investigation would involve a swarm of hard-nosed engineers and scientists poring over wreckage.

The New Fear of Flying After MH370 |Clive Irving |March 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Hard-nosed criticism is squeezed out by soft stories, gossip and fluff.

Music Criticism Has Degenerated Into Lifestyle Reporting |Ted Gioia |March 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
“Politics is a hard-nosed game, and the right has been playing Marquess of Queensbury Rules for a long time on this,” he said.

Al Sharpton, ‘PoliticsNation’ Advertisers Targeted in New Boycott |David Freedlander |October 7, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Documents released by the British archives reveal Thatcher as a hard-nosed opponent of Israel's West Bank settlement project.

What Kind Of Friend To Israel Was Thatcher? |Ali Gharib |April 8, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

To me this would demonstrate a hard-nosed determination that all citizens should find frightening.

Why I Fear the Aryan Brotherhood—and You Should, Too |Anonymous |April 1, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for hard-nosed

hard-nosed

adjective

informal tough, shrewd, and practical