hard-boiled

Questions about hard-boiled

What does hard-boiled mean?

hard-boiled means "tough and callous by virtue of experience". That is the primary sense; the word has 3 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in hard-boiled?

hard-boiled has 2 syllables and divides as hard--boiled under the regular spelling rules. It is not in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, so that comes from how the word is written rather than from a recorded pronunciation, and no stress or phonetic transcription is claimed for it.

What is another word for hard-boiled?

Close synonyms include hard-bitten, pugnacious, case-hardened, hardened. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is hard-boiled a common word?

hard-boiled is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.