Definition of "hard-boiled" in English

adjective

1. Cooked to a solid consistency. (of a boiled egg)

2. Callous and unsentimental. (of a person, especially a detective)

3. (literature, especially detective fiction) Written in a laconic, dispassionate, often ironic style for a realistic, unsentimental effect.

verb

1. simple past and past participle of hard-boil