battle-hardened

comparative more battle-hardened · superlative most battle-hardened

1. figurativelyliterallyUnfeeling or lacking emotion due to experience in battle; callous.

   After more than a year of war, Ukraine is battle hardened.

   2023 April 3, Andrew E. Kramer, Mauricio Lima, “New Weapons Aren’t Enough: The Challenges of Ukraine’s Coming Assault”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

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   Andy Lord has been at TfL for three years. He joined as managing director of London Underground in 2019, and subsequently became chief operating officer. But he was already battle-hardened by seven years as operations director for British Airways - the longest tenure of anyone in that similarly demanding role.

   2022 December 28, Andy Lord tells Paul Clifton, “We are much stronger if we work together”, in RAIL, number 973, page 46