: not to be modified or evaded : strict
a hard-and-fast rule

Examples of hard-and-fast in a Sentence

hard-and-fast rules that governed the corporate environment in those days included strictures regarding office dress that were rigidly enforced hard-and-fast beliefs that are the rock-solid foundation of their religion
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In the spaceflight community, there is no hard-and-fast definition. Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2025 But my one hard-and-fast cooking maxim is: Always wash your blender, immediately. Emma Specter, Vogue, 7 Apr. 2025 Minimalist design is often associated with whites and beiges, but by no means is sticking to such a color palette a hard-and-fast rule. Sarah Lyon, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2025 One is the Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century, when tariffs, crony capitalism, and hard-and-fast racial hierarchies were the stuff of American politics. Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hard-and-fast

Word History

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hard-and-fast was in 1822

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hard-and-fast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard-and-fast. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

hard-and-fast

adjective
ˌhärd-ᵊn-ˈfast
: not to be changed : fixed
a hard-and-fast rule
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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