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hard-nosed

hard-nosed

12 7.2
A practical, tough person who is not moved by feelings
  • adjective
  • /hɑrd-noʊzd/
translation icon : pragmático
  • John described his father as a dashing, ambitious businessman who had established an international reputation by being hard-nosed and shrewd.

I was, you know, I I'm kind of a hard nosed scientist.

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Examples

  • By contrast, the business case relies on more hard-nosed, material calculations.

    Academic text (2003)
  • I have to be hard-nosed, okay?

  • Seated behind the lawyers are two guys with hard-nosed corporate looks about them.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • His likely successors have a more hard-nosed view of the EU.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Claims in this area are often based on wishful thinking rather than a hard-nosed sense of what's practical.

    Blog text (18)
  • Especially dealing on CL, you have to be a pretty hard-nosed haggler both buying and selling.

    Blog text (27)
  • Our clients don't want anything to do with our passions; they want hard-nosed expertise and skill.

    Blog text (11)
  • VCU Baseball had the reputation of hard-nosed players who would grind games out and find ways to beat you.

    Blog text (26)
  • The Bush administration's China policy, which was once confrontational, has evolved into a hard-nosed but cooperative dialogue.

    Academic text (2007)
  • The CEO implemented a hard-nosed strategy to cut costs and improve profits.

Synonyms

practical
vshard-nosed
507 2.6

About how something works in real life rather than in ideas

is tougher and less influenced by emotions than plain concern with usefulness
pragmatic
vshard-nosed
64 6.3

Being practical and realistic when solving problems

is firmer and less guided by feelings than mere sensible problem solving
tough-minded
vshard-nosed
4 6.1

A person who deals with problems in a realistic, determined way and is not easily moved by feelings

puts more weight on decisive action than mere facts
hard-bitten
vshard-nosed
4 8.2

Tough and not easily upset because of difficult past experiences

is a firm, unsentimental attitude not defined by past hardship
hard-boiled
vshard-nosed
3 6.5

A person who is tough and does not show feelings or pity

is more focused on getting things done than plain lack of feeling
hardheaded
vshard-nosed
1 5.5

Practical and realistic, using facts and experience

is tougher and less influenced by feelings

Antonyms

488 2.9

Aware of and careful about other people's feelings

1 3.4

A person who feels sorry for others and helps them

How Tough

hard-nosed
12 7.2
tough-minded
4 6.1
realistic
283 3.7
practical
507 2.6

Surface Forms

hard-nosed positive

Morphology

hard-nosed = hard + nose (semi-transparent) = hard + nose + ed

Formed from 'hard' + 'nose' (with -ed on 'nose'); components are clear but the idiomatic meaning 'tough, practical' is metaphorical rather than literal.

Etymology

Hard-nosed combines hard ('tough') and nose, giving the image of someone with a 'tough face' who is not moved by feelings. So a hard-nosed person is practical and not easily influenced by emotion.