Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of hard-boiled

34 similar words · 2 opposite words

Another word for hard-boiled is harsh. Other synonyms of hard-boiled are severe, brutal, callous, cold and insensate. The opposite of hard-boiled is soft-boiled.

Synonyms and similar words for hard-boiled

adjectiveOf a person, especially a detective, callous and unsentimental.

  • harshSevere or cruel.
  • severeStrict or harsh.
  • brutalHarsh; unrelenting.
  • callousEmotionally hardened; unfeeling and indifferent to the suffering/feelings of others.
  • coldWithout compassion; heartless; ruthless.
  • insensate formalUnfeeling, heartless, cruel, insensitive.
  • hardhanded
  • cold-eyedThat looks coldly or dispassionately; having a fierce or aloof mein.
  • cruelHarsh; severe.
  • dour
  • thick-skinned
  • flint-heartedSynonym of hardhearted.
  • forbiddingAppearing to be threatening, unfriendly or potentially unpleasant.
  • frostyHaving an aloof or inhospitable manner.
  • grimDismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding.
  • hardSevere, harsh, unfriendly, brutal.
  • hardenedUnfeeling; pitiless; callous.
  • hardheartedLacking in compassion; cold and pitiless.
  • heartlessWithout feeling, emotion, or concern for others; uncaring; cruel.
  • humorlessLacking humor or levity; serious; not funny, amusing, amused, or lighthearted.
  • icyCharacterized by coldness of manner; frigid; cold.
  • iron-heartedSynonym of hardhearted.
  • insensitiveNot expressing normal emotional feelings; cold; tactless; undiplomatic.
  • marble-heartedEmotionally cold, cruel, and unfeeling.
  • rigorous
  • rockheartedSynonym of hardhearted.
  • stern
  • stoneheartedSynonym of hardhearted.
  • stonyOf a person, lacking warmth and emotion.
  • stonyheartedCruel, compassionless, discompassionate, as if having a heart made of stone.
  • strictSevere in discipline.
  • toughStrict, not lenient.
  • unsympatheticNot sympathetic; ill-disposed.
  • unmovedNot sympathetic; uncaring.

Opposite of hard-boiled

adjectiveOf a boiled egg, cooked to a solid consistency.

Meaning of hard-boiled

  1. adjective Of a boiled egg, cooked to a solid consistency.
  2. adjective Of a person, especially a detective, callous and unsentimental.
  3. adjective Written in a laconic, dispassionate, often ironic style for a realistic, unsentimental effect.

Full definition of hard-boiled

hard-boiled in other languages

Questions about synonyms of hard-boiled

What is another word for hard-boiled?
Hard-boiled has 34 synonyms on Word.ws, such as harsh, severe, brutal, callous, cold, insensate, hardhanded and cold-eyed.
What is the opposite of hard-boiled?
The opposite of hard-boiled is soft-boiled.
What does hard-boiled mean?
Hard-boiled means of a boiled egg, cooked to a solid consistency.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: hard-boiled (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of hard-boiled.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/hard-boiled. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.