hard-boiled; tough; cynical
Describes a person, attitude, or style that is emotionally detached, unsentimental, and resilient, often associated with noir detectives or gritty realism.
He played a hard-boiled detective.
That author's writing style is very hard-boiled.
hard-boiled fiction
Refers to the genre of hard-boiled crime fiction, characterized by tough, unsentimental protagonists and gritty settings.
Hard-boiled fiction is a genre that originated in America.
He is known as a hard-boiled detective.
He is skilled at writing hard-boiled crime novels.
This film is praised as a hard-boiled work.
This novel is written in a hard-boiled tone.