Crossword Dictionary

HARDLINE

hard-line, hardline - a 
firm and uncompromising; "a hard-line policy" 

wordplays

Synonyms

brassbound, cast-iron, exacting, inflexible, rigid, rigorous, strict, stringent, uncompromising

merriam-webster

Examples

“Mix a little sincerity and gumption in your hard-line approach, and perhaps you'll get somewhere and not antagonize others.”

“It was filmed in Greece in 1974, at no small risk, under the hard-line rule of the Greek colonels ' junta.”

“And please do not be offended by the very hard-line approach that I take toward the religious institutions.”

yourdictionary

Etymology

"uncompromising," 1958, originally in reference to Soviet communist policies, from the noun phrase (see hard (adj.) + line (n.)) in the political sense. Related: Hard-liner (1963).

etymonline