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.

Noah Wyle plays Dr Robby, a traumatised, hard-nosed yet deeply empathetic lead physician in the A&E department of a Pittsburg hospital.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

It was a hard-nosed faith, but they kept faith, and they got to Brown v.

From Slate • Mar. 4, 2026

For a decade, Kelce was a regional sports figure, revered in the Midwest as a hard-nosed, consistent producer on the field.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 26, 2025

Carney led the Liberal Party to a fourth-straight electoral win last April, on the promise of taking a hard-nosed approach in trade negotiations with Washington and delivering relief for the Canadian economy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025

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