hard-bitten

[ hahrd-bit-n ]

adjective

1. tough; stubborn.
2. conditioned by battle or struggle:

   a hard-bitten army.

3. grim or severe in judgment or attitude:

   a hard-bitten old teacher.

4. hard-boiled ( defs 2, 3 ).

hard-bitten

adjective

1. tough and realistic

Word History and Origins

Origin of hard-bitten¹

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

A lieutenant had approached, an older man, hard-bitten by years in the desert, with a full beard—save for a large, horizontal scar across his left cheek.

From Literature

Dip into the dad-canon iconography of Bill Pronzini’s Nameless Detective series, of which more than 40 hard-bitten installments have been released since the early 1970s?

From New York Times

Taylor’s Inez, possessed of a hard-bitten skill for self-preservation, stays one step ahead, constantly moving forward, a soft shred of hope her only cold comfort.

From Los Angeles Times

Her character, Inez, possessed of a hard-bitten skill for self-preservation, stays one step ahead, constantly moving forward, a soft shred of hope her only cold comfort.

From Seattle Times

But the sheer amount of research confirming the power of a healthy gut has become undeniable for even the most hard-bitten skeptic, Gilbert included.

From Washington Post