How to Use hard-nosed in a Sentence

hard-nosed

adjective
  • His talent for the work, and hard-nosed tactics, showed early.
    Katie Johnston, BostonGlobe.com, 27 July 2023
  • For sheer, hard-nosed craftiness, Myron was right up there with Gomer Pyle.
    William Jeanes, Car and Driver, 9 Apr. 2023
  • The Hawks, a team that embraces hard-nosed play, will need to match the Cardinals’ ability to dictate the pace.
    Cam Kerry, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Mar. 2023
  • And that's just playing hard-nosed, blue-collar, grind-it-out baseball.
    Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic, 16 May 2023
  • Originally a walk-on linebacker, Hatch is known more for his hard-nosed style of play.
    Jenna Ortiz, The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2023
  • Schwartz has a hard-nosed and old-school reputation, but with a twist of attitude.
    Ashley Bastock, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023
  • The tenacious point guard is venerated by Celtics fans for his hard-nosed play and hustle.
    Christopher L. Gasper, BostonGlobe.com, 6 June 2023
  • Hard worker gives you his all every shift and his hard-nosed playing style will translate well at the next level.
    Kyle Woodlief, USA TODAY, 28 June 2023
  • When the Mavs rolled out of bed and looked in the mirror this morning, many of them probably saw someone who doesn’t play enough hard-nosed defense.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Jan. 2024
  • He was raised by his mother and grandmother — a hard-nosed prune farmer whom McGuire credits for his career.
    Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2024
  • Along the way, the hard-nosed and principled leader was also a minor league manager, scout and bullpen coach.
    Paul McCardell, Baltimore Sun, 28 Mar. 2024
  • Along the way, the hard-nosed and principled leader was also a minor league manager, scout and bullpen coach.
    Paul McCardell, Baltimore Sun, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Phillips, the hard-nosed, third-round slot corner from Kentucky, was in the middle of several fights and skirmishes.
    Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2024
  • The Ginza store seemed to have spun out of Xu’s own romantic yearnings rather than hard-nosed business logic.
    Chang Che, The New Yorker, 30 July 2024
  • The hard-nosed slot receiver also finished with the the ninth-best pass blocking grade among Power Five wideouts.
    Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 7 Apr. 2023
  • Jim Hiller is sticking to the hard-nosed, defense-first philosophy that got the Kings to the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs — and no further — in each of the last three seasons.
    Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2024
  • Stover is essential to this team’s identity as a leader and hard-nosed on-field presence.
    Nathan Baird, cleveland, 24 Aug. 2023
  • The website may have high-minded ideals, but their termination agreements are full of hard-nosed legalese.
    Kelsey Piper, Vox, 18 May 2024
  • But Israelis should ask themselves how well the hard-nosed, forever-war approach has worked in practice.
    David Ignatius, Washington Post, 31 July 2024
  • Browning is a naturally gifted pass-rusher and a hard-nosed worker but has struggled to stay on the field.
    Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Fickell has the same hard-nosed approach on defense that should continue the success Wisconsin has enjoyed on that side of the ball.
    Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2023
  • First, his hard-nosed wife, Angela (a committed Laurie Metcalf), is a cancer survivor whose anger and fear Leo can’t seem to pierce.
    Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2023
  • Lyonne, nominated for lead actress in the role, plays the hard-nosed sleuth Cale, who has an innate talent for sniffing out lies.
    Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2023
  • From then on, Miller was Vogue’s woman on the ground, sending back not only photographs but eloquent, hard-nosed dispatches from the front lines.
    Chris Wiley, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2024
  • The Panthers have long been a no-nonsense, hard-nosed program that specializes in running the ball and playing solid defense.
    Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2024
  • The words of nutty and hard-nosed former college football coach Bo Pelini come to mind when trying figure out the direction of the UC program.
    Jason Williams, The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2023
  • Never utilized as a true No. 1 back in his five-year career, the 5-7 Singletary is a hard-nosed, reliable player.
    Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 25 May 2024
  • The Beast, as it is often known, has for more than a decade made a mark with hard-nosed reportage on top personalities and inside scoops on politics.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 23 Sep. 2024
  • Originally from San Bernardino, he’s carved out a role of being a hard-nosed defender.
    Matthew Ho, Orange County Register, 17 July 2024
  • Carter has a high basketball IQ, is a hard-nosed defender and an excellent rebounder for a guard.
    Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 8 June 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hard-nosed.' 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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