hard-boiled

adjective

ˈhärd-ˈbȯi(-ə)ld How to pronounce hard-boiled (audio)
Definition of hard-boilednext
1
as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings a hard-boiled Puritan schoolmaster who was as unyielding as New England granite

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in smart
having or showing a practical cleverness or judgment made the hard-boiled business decision to downsize the company, thereby costing thousands of longtime employees their jobs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hard-boiled In a smaller pot of water over high heat, boil eggs, covered, until just hard-boiled, 7 minutes, then run under cold water. — Aleksandra Crapanzano, WSJ, 8 Mar. 2023 For lunch or dinner, top a salad with scrambled or hard-boiled eggs. — Amanda MacMillan, Health, 1 Mar. 2023 This is outback noir — oblique, secretive and as hard-boiled as the ground is hard-baked — and Sen wears it well. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 Feb. 2023 As Detective Munch, Mr. Belzer was brainy but hard-boiled, cynical but sensitive. — Alex Traub, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-boiled
  1. ruthless
  2. smart
  3. merciless
  4. hardheaded
  5. astute
  6. savvy
  7. shrewd
  8. sharp
Adjective
  • Whoever sells the most wins a car; whoever sells the least is out of a job – a ruthless environment where each character will do anything to come out on top.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025
  • However, his plans to go straight are threatened when his final heist spirals out of control, pulling him into a deadly game of survival against ruthless criminals—including the unhinged Bats (Jamie Foxx) and the wild coupling of Buddy (Jon Hamm) and Darling (Eiza González).
    — Travis Bean, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of ruthless
Adjective
  • Dalman, 26, just reached the end of his rookie contract with the Atlanta Falcons and is heralded as a smart, steady lineman who can be an asset as a run blocker.
    — Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025
  • When a smart manager like Ventura intentionally walks you in your third game, you are marked for greatness.
    — Phil Rogers, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of smart
Adjective
  • Back then, residents of the burgeoning Los Angeles area had no idea a merciless killer was lurking in their midst until Feb. 2, 1928, when the headless, naked body of a teenage boy was found in a ditch on a dusty road near the sleepy suburb of La Puente.
    — KC Baker, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
  • The draft being held in Pittsburgh meant the Flyers were subject to merciless booing.
    — Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, 8 Mar. 2025
Definition of merciless
Adjective
  • At this point in a description of a possible future technology, a hardheaded engineer loses interest.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 15 Nov. 2018
  • Kayce sells Yellowstone Ranch for $1.25 an acre and Elsa Dutton rises from the dead to declare victory Kayce cryptically suggested the Yellowstone sale at the end of last week's episode, and the hardheaded financial wonder Beth loved the idea.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
Definition of hardheaded
Adjective
  • Pelosi, 84, is serving her 20th term representing her San Francisco district in Congress and is seen by many as one of the most astute and impressive American political leaders in modern times.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Andrews' nuanced design of P.L. Travers' creation is an astute, mellifluous, and delightfully intimidating creature of talent and propriety — and as the world would realize, so, too, was Andrews.
    — EW Staff, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025
Definition of astute
Adjective
  • After making a few savvy moves on Monday, the Vikings wasted very little time making a splash on Tuesday.
    — Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Coco needs to recreate hundreds of old landscapes and portraits of dead presidents, then Holden and his savvy trophy wife Talia (Eva De Dominici) have to slowly sell them two and three at a time to local art dealers to avoid flooding the market and raising eyebrows.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2025
Definition of savvy
Adjective
  • These people painted a picture of a shrewd capitalist, making practical calculations to protect his businesses.
    — Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Their shrewd negotiators would undoubtedly invoke American precedent to subdivide their political entities.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Definition of shrewd
Adjective
  • January’s report showed that job openings increased across many major sectors, with the sharpest upticks in industries such as real estate, finance and retail, according to the report.
    — Alicia Wallace, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Strange Journey arrives at one of the last moments when its core journey isn’t tinged with melancholy and mortality, with Curry still in strong and enthusiastic form after his 2012 stroke and most of the other principals coming across with sharp, high-personality memories.
    — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of sharp

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“Hard-boiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-boiled. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.

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