hard look
Searching, sustained gaze
A hard look is a close, serious examination of something, often with critical intent: We need to take a hard look at our spending.
The phrase implies scrutiny that doesn't shy away from uncomfortable findings.
Less commonly, a hard look is a stern or unfriendly gaze directed at someone.
- scrutinyClose, careful examination
- glareFierce stare or brightness
- icy glareHostile, cold expression
- cold stareHostile, unblinking gaze
- death stareIntensely hostile glare
stare · gaze · examination · piercing · stern · assessment · once over · up and down · intense · squint · frown · appraisal · cold · steely · unflinching · critical · searching · penetrating
- keen observationhawk eye, sharp eye, watchful eye, trained eye, piercing gaze
- serious expressionsno joke, dead serious, I mean it, seriously, in earnest
- analysisanalyze, analysis, evaluate, data analysis, examine
- perceptionsee, vision, seeing, senses, observing
- eye movementsgaze, blink, stare, glance, squint
- self-reflectionjournaling, self-reflection, self-awareness, introspection, self-examination
intensity of examination
hard lookquick glance
Short, rapid look
passing glance · cursory look · once-over · skim · fleeting glance
hard, look, harder, hardest, harden, hardened, hardening, hardness, hardly