die-hard

adjective

ˈdī-ˌhärd 

: strongly or fanatically determined or devoted

die-hard fans

especially : strongly resisting change

a die-hard conservative

diehard noun

die-hardism

ˈdī-ˌhärd-ˌiz-əm 

noun

Synonyms

• archconservative
• brassbound
• button-down
• buttoned-down
• conservative
• hidebound
• mossbacked
• old-fashioned
• old-line
• old-school
• orthodox
• paleoconservative
• reactionary
• standpat
• traditional
• traditionalistic
• ultraconservative
• unprogressive

Examples of die-hard in a Sentence

the die-hard purists are never going to accept certain words, no matter who uses them

Recent Examples on the Web

Whoever ends up his attorney general — the nation’s chief law enforcement officer who oversees the FBI and appoints all federal prosecutors –will be a die-hard Trump loyalist who will do his bidding. —Pierce O'Donnell, The Mercury News, 12 Dec. 2024

For many fans outside of their die-hard base, their constant trolling got old, and people were leaving the proverbial chat. —Pitchfork, 5 Dec. 2024

While tech-savvy fans consume all sports, those who follow women’s sports more closely spend more time exploring the world around the athletes as opposed to die-hard fans of men’s sports who focus on debates over stats and performance. —Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 4 Dec. 2024

Sorry, die-hard wrestling fans, but WWE Raw isn’t going back to the grunge and hard-hitting extremes of the Attitude Era. —Gabriela Silva, TVLine, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

die-hard

adjective

ˈdī-ˌhärd

: strongly or excessively determined or devoted

die-hard fans

diehard noun