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
Relevance
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
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
Adjective
-
As with everything Banksy, siting and context are chief among the avenues of investigation into the man’s intent and into his his hilariously ruthless nocturnal execution of his art.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
-
The ruthless, physical Panthers will get a strong Oilers squad, with Ekholm back on the back end, Skinner emphatically taking back his net from Calvin Pickard, and both McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on top of their games.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
The organization will help fund new ideas in smart home technologies, energy efficiency, digitization, safety and more.—
Jennifer Bradley Franklin,
USA Today,
28 May 2025
-
Ushering In The Electrification Era Technologies enabling smart renewable energy solutions, reliable battery-management systems and sustainable manufacturing practices are central to our electricity infrastructure.—
Henrik Mannesson,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
The film is cold-bloodedly whimsical, asking the audience to root for a merciless man who endeavors, ever so incrementally, to understand some deeper human truths.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2025
-
Unless stopped, Trump and the Republicans who follow him may go down as the most merciless and morally bankrupt leaders this country has ever produced.—
Tom Debley,
Mercury News,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
Flash mobs in the Loop are a real problem demanding hardheaded solutions.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2025
-
British officials know this and sometimes despair that their country has not found a way to be more hardheaded.—
Sam Knight,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The people that farm or garden are very interesting, very resourceful, very astute.—
Greg Allen,
NPR,
1 June 2025
-
Patti LuPone, fresh off the set of And Just Like That…, has caused an internet kerfuffle with her astute (and deliciously eloquent) jabs at costars, former lovers, theatergoers, and even Times Square pedestrians in her recent profile in The New Yorker.—
Raven Smith,
Vogue,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
Five Strategic Lessons For A CMO’s Met Gala Playbook The Met Gala is a little bit celebrity pageantry, and a lot of savvy marketing built on smart, long-game cultural fluency.—
Lilian Raji,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
-
Machado is among the league’s savviest baserunners.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 May 2025
Adjective
-
To the world, Seema is a shrewd real estate broker.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
28 May 2025
-
Wonderfully surreal, completely original, and frequently hilarious, La Máquina — which also stars Eiza González (3 Body Problem) as Eduardo’s shrewd ex-wife, Irasema — packs a powerful punch.—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
The chip companies have recovered their sharp losses from earlier this year amid worries their stock prices had shot too high.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
-
Yet in March 2024, despite a sharp rise in antisemitic attacks, the program’s budget was cut by $30.5 million, dropping from $305 million to $274.5 million.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hard-boiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-boiled. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share