hard-and-fast

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.

In a well-known law review article, Justice Antonin Scalia—the court’s original originalist—argued that in addition or in connection to originalism, judges should create their own hard-and-fast rules.

From Slate • May 5, 2026

There are no hard-and-fast rules about when a place name or other traditional description attached to a product becomes generic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

This is why the broadcast limit is not really a hard-and-fast limit.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

I’m not necessarily sold on hard-and-fast rules when it comes to age; it also depends on your risk tolerance, expected longevity and how long you intend to work.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 11, 2025

Unfortunately, there’s no hard-and-fast rule that tells you how to form the plural of every word that ends in o.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner