hard-bittenˌhard-ˈbitten adjective 
Examples
a hard-bitten cop
ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- a hard-bitten detective
- Jensen's experience in prison left him hard-bitten, cynical, and ruthless.
- Miss Davies is not really the tough, hard-bitten businesswoman that she appears to be.
- He said he adored hard-bitten policemen.
- Not one of them's a hard-bitten tom, the kind you'd find on the streets.
- That was hard-bitten, hard-nosed, hard-drinking newshound Edgar Allan Poe.
- The hard-bitten men round the table knew better than to make that mistake.
- Very few teachers are irredeemable, however hard-bitten they may appear.
Longman Language Activatorknowing about life, people, and the world► experienced
not easily shocked or upset, because you have had a lot of experience: · Paul liked to turn to more experienced people for advice.experienced in · My elder brother was a lot more experienced in these matters than I was.
► have been around informal if you say that someone has been around , you mean that they have had experience of many different situations and many different types of people and so they can deal with new situations confidently and easily: · When you've been around as long as I have you realize some things aren't worth getting upset about.have been around the block (a few times): · I've been around the block a few times, and I think I know when someone's trying to cheat me.
► be a man/woman of the world to be someone who knows a lot about life, has had a lot of different experiences etc and is not easily shocked by things: · Look, Ray, you're a man of the world - I'm sure you've been in situations like this before.
► sophisticated someone who is sophisticated has a lot of knowledge and experience of clever, fashionable things, and shows this by the way they talk and behave: · Everyone at the party was sophisticated and well-educated.· The play is intended for a sophisticated audience.
► streetwise someone who is streetwise has had enough experience of life in big cities to know how to deal with difficult or dangerous people and situations: · Kids these days are much more streetwise than we ever were at their age.· Copeland is a streetwise cop who knows how to take care of himself.
► worldly having a lot of experience and knowledge about life and the practical rather than the moral reasons for people's actions: · For a priest he was surprisingly worldly.· She was much older and more worldly than I was.
► hardened: hardened criminal/cynic etc someone who has had a lot of experience dealing with difficult situations and is therefore less affected by them: · Even the most hardened criminal would have been shocked by the brutality of the crime.· Hardened foes of abortion are unlikely to be persuaded by her arguments.
► hard-bitten someone who is hard-bitten has developed a hard, unsympathetic character because their experience of life has been difficult and unpleasant: · Miss Davies is not really the tough, hard-bitten businesswoman that she appears to be.· Jensen's experience in prison left him hard-bitten, cynical, and ruthless.
a hard-bitten cop