as in sturdy
able to withstand hardship, strain, or exposure
a hard-bitten Apache chief who could endure the scorching heat of the Arizona desert
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Recent Examples of hard-bitten
Her hard-bitten, cynical persona provides a nice juxtaposition to how maudlin so much commentary about motherhood can be.
—
Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
But the sentiments are the razors in the apples: hard-bitten, painful, wise from disappointment, and braced for the next crisis.
—Spin Team, SPIN, 28 Nov. 2024
Alaska has devolved into a colony of big oil, and its politics have become so closed, hard-bitten, and strident.
—Jeremy Eichler, BostonGlobe.com, 12 July 2015
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-bitten
Adjective
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For your safety, move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building.—
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Another option is to wrap a towel around something sturdy, like a beam, pole, or even a door frame and do a bodyweight row from there.—
Adjective
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The fisherman aesthetic, a modern and trendy take on nautical design, offers cool colors and hardy materials (like wood and stone) with an emphasis on creating cozy spots to lounge.—
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As usual, his Ethan Hunt is muscular, hardy, game for anything.—
Adjective
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According to research from Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control, strong gun control laws are correlated with fewer gun deaths.—
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This results in a charge imbalance that builds up an electric field strong enough to trigger flashes of lightning.—
Adjective
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And on the rugged ninth hole, his tee shot held up in the grass just short of the bunker.—
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Who will sell them? VW infuriated many of its American dealers with plans to sell rugged Scout SUVs and pickups directly to consumers.—
Adjective
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Being a careless jackass but also irresistibly charming is a tough needle to thread.—
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That’s really tough to stop from turning into scoring opportunities for the opponent.—
Adjective
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When thinning, aim to leave the strongest seedlings and remove less vigorous neighbors.—
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Mow lawns often enough to keep turf at the proper height for vigorous growth.—
Adjective
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After his ice-cold start that was due, in large part, to Jaden McDaniels’ stout defense, Gilgeous-Alexander was spectacular in the second half (20 points, five assists, four rebounds, eight-of-14 shooting and a plus-25 rating as the Thunder dominated 70-40).—
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Normally, heavy tackle is preferred, including a stout casting rod and 15 to 18-pound-test line, so heavy fish can be kept from diving into weeds or under logs.—
Cite this Entry
“Hard-bitten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-bitten. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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