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Suffix · forms adjectives

-nosed

Describes the shape of a nose or, figuratively, someone's attitude: hard-nosed (tough, practical) and snub-nosed (having a short, upturned nose).

In Spanish: de nariz / duro / perspicazLiterary

Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated August 2026

What this suffix does

-nosed forms compound adjectives that describe either the physical shape of the nose or, in figurative use, the attitude and approach of a person toward their work or dealings with the world. The physically descriptive compounds (pug-nosed, snub-nosed, Roman-nosed) are vivid character descriptors. The figuratively powerful ones — hard-nosed and sharp-nosed — use the nose as a symbol of the quality of a person's judgment: the nose that detects, investigates, and does not yield to sentiment. "Hard-nosed" in particular has become one of the most important adjectives in political and business journalism.

How it is formed

Adjective + nosed.

  • hard + nosed
    hard-nosed (tough, practical)
  • sharp + nosed
    sharp-nosed (perceptive, sharp)
  • snub + nosed
    snub-nosed (having a short, upturned nose)

This is not a productive rule you can apply freely: it is a closed set of fixed expressions. Learn them one by one as set phrases.

How it is pronounced

-nosed

Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.

Examples

Base word
With -nosed
In a phrase
  • hardhard-nosedThe hard-nosed negotiator refused to lower the price.
  • sharpsharp-nosedThe sharp-nosed reporter smelled a story right away.
  • pugpug-nosedThe pug-nosed puppy was the cutest one in the litter.
  • snubsnub-nosedShe has a cute little snub nose.
  • coldcold-nosedThe cold-nosed puppy nuzzled against her hand.

Common mistakes

hard-nosed = aggressive or confrontational
hard-nosed = unsentimental, practical, and not easily swayed by emotion or pressure

"Hard-nosed" does not mean aggressive. It means practical, realistic, and resistant to emotional appeals or pressure. A hard-nosed negotiator drives a good deal not through aggression but through clear-eyed evaluation of what is worth conceding and what is not. The "hardness" is in the refusal to be swayed, not in the manner of engagement.

sharp-nosed = physically having a sharp (pointed) nose
sharp-nosed in figurative use = having a sharp, penetrating capacity for detection or analysis

"Sharp-nosed" can describe a physically pointed nose, but in literary and figurative use it describes someone whose capacity for detection, investigation, or analysis is sharp and penetrating — like a nose that can detect what others miss. It is a quality of attention and discernment, not of physical appearance.

A trick to remember it

"Hard-nosed" is one of those figurative compounds that has become so embedded in English that many speakers have forgotten its origin. The image is of a nose that will not yield — that pushes forward and holds its course. In business and political writing "hard-nosed" has become almost synonymous with "unsentimental and effective." It is nearly always used in admiration: calling someone hard-nosed is calling them clear-eyed and effective rather than naive or soft.

Practise what you learned

Exercise 1 · Form the word

Fill in: "The ___ approach to the negotiations left no room for sentiment — only the numbers mattered." (practical, unsentimental, and not easily swayed by emotional arguments)

Hint: Hard + nosed = whose nose (judgment) is hard and will not yield to pressure or sentiment.

Exercise 2 · Pick the right one

"The sharp-nosed journalist had found the discrepancy in the financial filing that three audit firms had missed." What does "sharp-nosed" mean here?

Exercise 3 · Form the word

Fill in: "The ___ CFO blocked three acquisitions in a single quarter, citing insufficient return projections." (practical and unswayed by enthusiasm or pressure; focused purely on what the numbers show)

Hint: Hard + nosed = whose judgment is hard and practical, not softened by enthusiasm.

Frequently asked questions

What does the suffix -nosed mean in English?

The suffix -nosed describes the shape of a nose or, figuratively, someone's attitude: hard-nosed (tough, practical) and snub-nosed (having a short, upturned nose). In Spanish it usually maps to de nariz / duro / perspicaz.

Can you give an example of a word with -nosed?

"hard" becomes "hard-nosed". It is a typical example of the -nosed suffix.

Other useful suffixes

  • -eyed

    Describes what someone's eyes are like, or how they see the world: wide-eyed (eyes wide open, naive) and eagle-eyed (sharp-sighted, observant).

  • -headed

    having a specified type of mental clarity, character, or state of mind

  • -witted

    Describes how quickly someone thinks: quick-witted (sharp, fast-thinking) versus dim-witted (slow, not very sharp).

Learn every English suffix

-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.

View all suffixes
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