hardball

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noun

In baseball, a type of ball and baseball game, as opposed to softball.

Opposite
softball
Less commonScrabble 14
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Meanings

nounhardball (countable and uncountable, plural hardballs)

plural hardballs

  1. countableuncountableball gamesIn baseball, a type of ball and baseball game, as opposed to softball.
  2. countablefigurativelyuncountableTough or ruthless behavior, especially in combat, politics or business.
adjectivehardball (comparative more hardball, superlative most hardball)

comparative more hardball · superlative most hardball

  1. Being or exhibiting tough or ruthless behavior, especially in combat, politics or business.
verbhardball (third-person singular simple present hardballs, present participle hardballing, simple past and past participle hardballed)

present singular third person hardballs · participle present hardballing · participle past hardballed · past hardballed

  1. informaltransitiveTo exhibit tough and ruthless behavior towards another individual.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounbaseball as distinguished from softball

Opposite
softball
Broader
baseballbaseball gameball

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From hard + ball.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Polish hardball, brak skrupułów
  • hardballtype of baseball
  • brak skrupułówtough or ruthless behaviour
  • bez skrupułówTranslations
Spanish duro
  • duroTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

hardball. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hardball

MLA

“hardball.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hardball. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hardball,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hardball.

Source: hardball on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.