How to Use hard sell in a Sentence

hard sell

noun
  • Such an expensive project will be a hard sell during these slow economic times.
  • All the shops are too successful to bother with the hard sell.
    Mary Kaye Schilling, Town & Country, 15 Sep. 2015
  • Even for the angriest young Muslim man, this might be a bit of a hard sell.
    Audrey Kurth Cronin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2015
  • But people used to other forms of public transport might be a harder sell.
    Doug Ferrar, baltimoresun.com, 9 July 2017
  • This means that the idea of getting tested for cancer when symptoms are spotted is a hard sell.
    The Economist, 14 Sep. 2017
  • Despite solid gameplay and a lot to love after some time investment, Concord is a really hard sell.
    Echo Apsey, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2024
  • Earthquake insurance in California has been a hard sell for many homeowners, who complain about price and high deductibles.
    Shelby Grad, latimes.com, 19 Sep. 2017
  • The new release Twisters, however, is not a reboot but a pluralized update made in the Millennial spirit of a desperate, thoughtless hard sell.
    Armond White, National Review, 24 July 2024
  • This is a hard sell for the straight-ahead thinking Paul.
    Bill Goodykoontz, Detroit Free Press, 29 Oct. 2021
  • At the time, with the hard sell in full gear, the idea of a timeshare makes complete sense.
    David Lazarus, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2019
  • That’s going to be a hard sell in the Ravens’ locker room.
    Mike Preston, Baltimore Sun, 4 Apr. 2023
  • With poultry prices up as much as 50% in the last month, his is a hard sell.
    Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Apr. 2022
  • But Thomson finds that thinking a hard sell in the Bend area.
    OregonLive.com, 29 Oct. 2017
  • But these trucks cost more, making them a harder sell in the U.S.
    Erica E. Phillips, WSJ, 21 Sep. 2017
  • That’s a hard sell, no matter how pretty the camels are.
    Richard Hall, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2018
  • The spirit isn’t such a hard sell anymore, 14 years on.
    Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 23 Dec. 2021
  • But as the years passed and Corey didn’t get up from his chair, his vow became a hard sell.
    Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 22 Sep. 2021
  • Not all the changes have been hard sells in Saudi Arabia.
    Vivian Yee, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2020
  • Front-wheel drive is a hard sell when there are rear-drive options.
    Dave Vanderwerp, Car and Driver, 29 Nov. 2021
  • Ron Popeil, who died in July at 86, perfected the art of the hard sell, the refuse-to-let-you-move-on.
    Rick Kogan, chicagotribune.com, 16 Dec. 2021
  • Staying away from hard sell might lure sponsors to the Big Game in the moment.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 27 June 2023
  • But since no cars are for sale at the show, there's little chance of getting a hard sell.
    Ronald Montoya, Edmunds, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2018
  • And then, there’s the reality of the market: small phones are a hard sell.
    Allison Johnson, The Verge, 20 Feb. 2024
  • That's a hard sell after Jan. 1, the installer of 10 years said.
    Emily Hopkins, Indianapolis Star, 5 Nov. 2017
  • The property, which opened eight years ago, was always a bit of a hard sell.
    Brittany Martin, Los Angeles Magazine, 20 Oct. 2017
  • For the less hardcore of the Thule searchers, however, Smøla-as-Thule has proved so far to be a hard sell.
    F. Salazar, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Sep. 2020
  • The hard sell is not the best way to earn the interest and loyalty of your customers.
    Christena Garduno, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2021
  • The One was a hard sell, according to agents who toured the property.
    Katherine Clarke, WSJ, 28 July 2022
  • The antipodes and the South Pacific don't require a hard sell.
    Chloe Sachdev, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2021
  • That would have been a hard sell even if the Wolverines prevailed Wednesday.
    Rainer Sabin, Detroit Free Press, 1 Jan. 2020

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hard sell.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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