hard-nosed
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.
Also a no-brainer for Nolan was his choice of Matt Damon, who’d had a key role in “Interstellar” and was hard-nosed master builder Gen. Leslie Groves in “Oppenheimer,” to play Odysseus.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
The Black Caps played hard-nosed, disciplined and ruthless Test cricket, giving a lesson to England.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
But the hard-nosed Cronin apparently couldn’t reach him while Michigan’s gentler Dusty May could and … hmmmm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026
Military training prepared him for the hard-nosed politics of running for city council in Jersey City, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
Will Bates was Gary Edwards’s teacher in algebra II, which seemed amazing given the fact that Edwards was a Carter Cowboy and Bates was a hard-nosed grader who made no bones about flunking kids.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
