hardheaded
hardheaded Lexical Profile
hardheaded Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Practical, realistic, and unsentimental; guided by sober judgment rather than emotion or idealism.
"The committee needed a hardheaded assessment of the project's financial risks before approving the budget."
Stubborn, willful, and unwilling to change one's opinion or course of action.
"He was too hardheaded to admit that his initial strategy was not working."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Hardheaded' carries two distinct connotations depending on context: in business or policy discussions, it is often a compliment meaning 'unsentimentally practical and realistic,' whereas in personal contexts it frequently means 'stubborn and obstinate.'
• Rhymes for hardheaded
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the early 16th century, combined from the roots 'hard' and 'head' with the participial suffix '-ed', originally referring literally or figuratively to someone with a thick skull or an unyielding mind.