Syn: pugnacious, tough. [WordNet 1.5 +PJC]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
hard-bitten — tough, tough in a fight, lit. given to hard biting, 1715, originally of dogs, from HARD (Cf. hard) + BITTEN (Cf. bitten), with the pp. used actively (Cf. ill spoken) … Etymology dictionary
hard-bitten — adj not easily shocked or upset, because you have had a lot of experience ▪ a hard bitten cop … Dictionary of contemporary English
hard-bitten — [härd′bit′ n] adj. 1. Archaic that bites hard; tough in fighting: said of dogs 2. stubborn; tough; dogged … English World dictionary
hard-bitten — index obdurate Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
hard-bitten — /hahrd bit n/, adj. 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). [1775 85] * * * … Universalium
hard-bitten — ADJ GRADED: usu ADJ n (disapproval) If you describe someone as hard bitten, you are critical of them because they do not show much emotion or have much sympathy for other people, usually because they have experienced many unpleasant things. ...a… … English dictionary
hard-bitten — adjective a hard bitten FBI agent Syn: hardened, tough, cynical, unsentimental, hardheaded, case hardened, as tough as nails; informal hard nosed, hard edged, hard boiled Ant: sentimental … Thesaurus of popular words
hard-bitten — adjective not easily shocked or upset, because you have had a lot of experience: a hard bitten journalist … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
hard-bitten — hard bit|ten [ ,hard bıtn ] adjective tending not to feel sympathy and other positive emotions because of having had a lot of difficult experiences … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
hard-bitten — hard′ bit′ten adj. conditioned by battle or struggle; tough; stubborn … From formal English to slang
