: advocating or involving a rigidly uncompromising course of action
hard-liner noun

Examples of hard-line in a Sentence

a hard-line approach to the sentencing of repeat offenders
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Despite the administration's apparent focus on serious offenders, green card holders, legal permanent residents, and even U.S. citizens are getting caught up in the president's hard-line crackdown. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025 Doral joins Coral Gables, Hialeah, West Miami, and Miami Springs as the latest Miami-Dade municipality to align with the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration agenda. Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025 Trump’s tariff policy has exposed a serious rift within his inner circle, with conflict between his advisor Elon Musk and Peter Navarro, Trump’s hard-line trade counselor, breaking into the open. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025 Many Cambodians, particularly in the countryside, welcomed the Khmer Rouge, with its mix of hard-line communist ideology and extreme Cambodian nationalism, as liberators who promised to restore order and dignity. Sophal Ear, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hard-line

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hard-line was in 1903

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Cite this Entry

“Hard-line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard-line. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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