1
as in smart
having or showing a practical cleverness or judgment
a hardheaded politician who never hesitated to set aside principle in favor of expediency
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stubborn
sticking to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
Granny remained hardheaded about keeping her house and not moving into a nursing home
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in pragmatic
willing to see things as they really are and deal with them sensibly
a hardheaded minister who understands the difficulties teenagers face today
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Recent Examples of hardheaded
In the complicated, thorny, offensive, manipulative, sometimes hilarious, sometimes uncomfortable video interview, which evokes the feeling of an uncle sitting down with his hardheaded nephew, Thug is reeling and full of so much anxiety that his legs are shaking.
—
Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 11 Sep. 2025
Flash mobs in the Loop are a real problem demanding hardheaded solutions.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025
British officials know this and sometimes despair that their country has not found a way to be more hardheaded.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
The messy middle refers to the difficult decisions that need to be made, guided by science and hardheaded economics.
—Nick Rockel, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hardheaded
Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 11 Sep. 2025
Flash mobs in the Loop are a real problem demanding hardheaded solutions.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025
British officials know this and sometimes despair that their country has not found a way to be more hardheaded.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
The messy middle refers to the difficult decisions that need to be made, guided by science and hardheaded economics.
—Nick Rockel, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hardheaded
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardheaded
Adjective
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Lane pointed to Adams State’s direct admissions program as a smart intervention that attracts students who might have otherwise overlooked college.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
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The next generation of commerce may not belong solely to the smartest AI models, but to the companies who are most capable of balancing complexity on the business side, while delivering trust and simplicity on the consumer side.—
Jacques Ledbetter,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Adjective
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Grab a melamine sponge and get rid of stubborn bathtub stains in a jiffy.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
1 June 2026
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If the Avs remain stubborn and play a style that suits their stars in the regular season, MacKinnon might win another title, but will be at the end of his career with another team.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Perhaps that just compels Presti to remain more pragmatic and bolster positional rotation needs instead of attempting a huge swing.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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Travel + Leisure recently spoke to two former flight attendants about their preflight routines and practices, and the answers ranged from pragmatic to surprisingly insightful.—
Jill Robbins,
Travel + Leisure,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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Prove his nous in the transfer market Based on Nuno’s first window, Axel Disasi, 28, the loanee from Chelsea and Taty Castellanos, 27, the €29m arrival from Lazio, were shrewd signings.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
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The team's 11 straight playoff wins follow years of deliberate, shrewd team-building that strayed from the high-risk, instant gratification personnel moves that marked much of the Dolan era.—
Alex Sherman,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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Officials with the Georgia Department of Transportation have been adamant that many of the major road closures and resurfacing projects are unrelated to the World Cup, and therefore are on a multi-year timeline.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
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Healthcare advocates are equally adamant.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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None of this felt realistic, especially not Colman Domingo’s sawed-off-shotgun-wielding Ali shooting up Alamo’s club in his mentee Rue’s honor, shattering a mask of poise that had defined his character (like the whiplash of Khaleesi’s end of Game of Thrones rogue era).—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
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Critics, including some of the country’s largest education networks, say the government’s framework does not provide a fair or realistic measure of success for creative professionals.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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While the criticism is well deserved, to its credit, the report does make a handful of astute observations that Democrats would be wise not to dismiss.—
Douglas Schoen,
Oc Register,
28 May 2026
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The Cult Content Boom The three-part series, however, is grounded with an astute cast, headed by former cult member Hoyt Richards, a 1980s and ’90s supermodel, the face of global campaigns for Versace, Valentino, Cartier and Ralph Lauren.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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Kids can enjoy welcome milk and cookies, along with a variety of in-room amenities, such as toys and board games, kid-sized robes and slippers, and practical items like cribs, high chairs, bottle warmers, and diapers.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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Josh, who wants to be an investigative journalist, is an idealist in a PBS T-shirt (and with a PBS tote bag) who gets by on family money and is incapable of taking care of himself in any practical way.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hardheaded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardheaded. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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