From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhard-edgedˌhard-ˈedged adjective CRITICIZEdealing with difficult subjects or criticizing someone severely in a way that may offend some people a hard-edged collection of songs
Examples from the Corpus
hard-edged• With an artist's skill Chesarynth conceptualized the hard-edged grey-green symbols in different arrangements, in different colours and shapes.• First, we need a tough and hard-edged law and order service.• The hard-edged Luce style was making Life a more serious product than its old-fashioned competitor.• hard-edged, realistic stories• These developments were linked with more critical and hard-edged research into the outcomes of interventions.• If a tight, hard-edged sound is your thing then this Hughes & Kettner rig will do the job.• King was a trailblazer, mixing the rolling blues of his native Texas with the hard-edged street blues of Chicago. 