HARD-BITTEN


Meaning of HARD-BITTEN in English

ˈ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ adjective

Etymology: hard (I) + -bitten having (such) a bite (from bitten, past participle of bite )

1. : having a hard bite : inclined to bite hard

so hard-bitten an animal that all the torture you can use will not make him leave his hold — Martin Hunter

2.

a. : seasoned or steeled in battle : tough in fighting

hard-bitten tribesmen, their … faces flecked with the blood of the fighting — T.E.Lawrence

the rangers … were a hard-bitten lot, and they went after outlaws in a businesslike way — W.M.Raine

b.

(1) : seasoned or steeled in struggle or experience of any kind : having the qualities appropriate to a veteran

this genial but hard-bitten career diplomat — Newsweek

(2) : confirmed , inveterate

hard-bitten amateur high-fidelity operators — R.S.Lanier

hard-bitten bachelors complained that they were too shy to approach women — Atlantic

3.

a.

(1) : marked by severity or austerity of character : of tough moral fiber : unyielding , indomitable , rugged

a hard-biten, granite-faced, Scotch-Irish Presbyterian — Newsweek

his hard-bitten New England independence — Edwin Clark

one of those hard-bitten ruggedly individualistic men — Pamela Taylor

(2) : full of difficulties or hardships : harsh

the life of the farmer was all too often a lonely hard-bitten existence — American Guide Series: Ind.

b. : lacking polish or refinement : rough or coarse in manner or appearance : tough , hard-boiled

patronized by roistering, hard-bitten seafarers — American Guide Series: Florida

c. : lacking sensitivity or compassion : callous , ruthless , hard

the typical story of the hard-bitten man who clawed his way to the top — V.P.Hass

d. : free of sentimentality or illusions : not credulous or naïve : tough-minded , realistic , practical

this hard-bitten gentleman has an aesthetic and romantic side — Stanley Walker

a somewhat more hard-bitten scholarly segment … squared off for wordy battles with the faithful — M.W.Fishwick

realistic, hard-bitten, and unrhetorical — Saturday Review

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.