1. tough, cynical, and experienced; not easily shocked or deceived
Usage: often used to describe people who have endured hardship or lived a rough life

Examples

• The hardbitten detective had seen every crime imaginable in his thirty years on the force.
• She had a hardbitten attitude toward relationships after years of disappointment.
• The hardbitten sailors laughed at the rookie's seasickness.
• His hardbitten expression never changed, even when hearing the worst news.
• The hardbitten journalist refused to be swayed by the politician's promises.
• After decades in the business world, he had become hardbitten and skeptical of new ventures.