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 Boiled Placing eggs in boiling water with the shells on is another healthy cooking method that can be used until the yolk is runny (soft-boiled) or fully cooked (hard-boiled). — Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 29 Jan. 2026 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, 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 See All Example Sentences for hard-boiled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-boiled
  1. ruthless
  2. smart
  3. merciless
  4. hardheaded
  5. stony
  6. astute
  7. veteran
  8. savvy
Adjective
  • Once the ruthless commander of Bosnian Serb forces, Mladic oversaw the siege of Sarajevo, mass killings and the 1995 Srebrenica massacre that left more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys dead.
    — Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter, like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruthless
Adjective
  • But by defending in this way, Chelsea are giving smart opponents the advantage in the battle for possession.
    — Jon Mackenzie, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • But getting there wasn’t just about making smart product decisions.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of smart
Adjective
  • In Braun’s script, the merciless obstacle course of singlehood seems just absurd.
    — Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Regehr was relentless and merciless, and Oilers fans had to witness it over and over again.
    — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 25 July 2026
Definition of merciless
Adjective
  • Andrea Suarez leads a group, We Heart Seattle, that combines care for the homeless with a hardheaded insistence on legal consequences and addiction treatment for drug users.
    — Michael Powell, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
  • At the George offices, Berman loses it once and for all at John’s lateness, his indifference to the daily operations of the magazine, and his hardheaded refusal to consider the TV show.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Definition of hardheaded
Adjective
  • Oscar Wilde, for example, reposes beneath a hulking deity whose iconoclastic castration, back in 1961, did little to restrain pilgrims seeking to smear red lips across his stony physique.
    — Emily Cox, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026
  • Instead of looking like a sleek urban loft, the room can quickly start to feel cold, stony, and impersonal.
    — Natasha Bazika, Martha Stewart, 9 May 2026
Definition of stony
Adjective
  • The audience is in on the mockery of this dim-witted man, whose astute wife can see right through him.
    — Stephanie Vander Wel, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026
  • There is too much going on here for this novel to work, but Andersen is an uncommon writer, a skilled historical novelist as well as an astute cultural observer and historical interpreter.
    — John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of astute
Adjective
  • The lead coach of Newcastle United’s under-21s team is a veteran defender of the Premier League and EFL and an experienced coach.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Craig Brewer is directing Snoop, which is being produced by Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer, the veteran producer behind the semi-autobiographical Eminem drama 8 Mile, and the company’s Allan Mandelbaum.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of veteran
Adjective
  • And no one has been savvier about capitalizing on these possibilities than the Kardashian family.
    — Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • But anyone can supersize their retirement account with some savvy execution, said Anne Tergesen and Theo Francis in The Wall Street Journal.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of savvy

Browse Nearby Words

hard-bitten
hard-boiled
hardcase
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Cite this Entry

“Hard-boiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-boiled. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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