hardball

[ hahrd-bawl ]

noun

1. baseball, as distinguished from softball.

adjective

1. tough or ruthless:

   He wasn't ready for the hardball politics of Washington.

2. outspoken, challenging, or difficult:

   Reporters asked the president some hardball questions.

hardball

/ ˈhɑːdbɔːl /

noun

1. baseball as distinct from softball
2. play hardball informal.
   to act in a ruthless or uncompromising way

Word History and Origins

Origin of hardball¹

First recorded in 1825–35; hard + ball ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. play hardball, to act or work aggressively, competitively, or ruthlessly, as in business or politics.

Example Sentences

Trump boasts he’s playing hardball to force other Nato countries to meet their spending targets, which is 2% of their GDP - only 23 of the member nations have hit this target in 2024.

From BBC

Others were critical of Harris, who has eschewed hardball mainstream media interviews in favor of “friendly” or “safe” interviews instead.

From Los Angeles Times

And while there is now a completely new government, all the signs are the Treasury will still be playing hardball.

From BBC

It’s hardball season in California’s state Capitol, and we’re not talking baseball.

From Los Angeles Times

They also claim that OpenAI has used hardball tactics to prevent workers from voicing their concerns about the technology, including restrictive nondisparagement agreements that departing employees were asked to sign.

From New York Times