Noun
hard truth (countable and uncountable, plural hard truths)
A truth that is difficult to accept.
We must begin by acknowledging a hard truth. We will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations, acting individually or in concert, will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified. Barack Obama
One reason we cannot forget our law enforcement legacy is that the people we serve and protect cannot forget it, either. So we must talk about our history. It is a hard truth that lives on. James Comey
If a marker were to be erected today, it might read, in homage to his scientific courage: "He preferred the hard truth to his dearest illusions.”. Carl Sagan
Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it. George R. R. Martin
[A]n attractive lie is always going to be more popular than a hard truth. Dave Sim
It wasn't the 'miracle of engineering' that is the human body that was filling me with a mad desire to live my days and nights in a pair of scrubs. The hard truth was I did not remotely want to be a surgeon. I actually just wanted to be on 'Grey's Anatomy.' Caterina Scorsone