1
as in sturdy
able to withstand hardship, strain, or exposure
hardened from years of deprivation and grief, the man regarded the house fire as just another misfortune in a life filled with them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stubborn
sticking to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
hardened cynics regarded those TV shows as being anything but reality-based
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in froze
to become physically firm or solid
the glue begins to harden as soon as it is exposed to air
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in strengthened
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure
pioneer women who had been hardened by years of living on the plains
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in toughened
to increase the ability of (as a muscle) to exert physical force
arm muscles that were hardened by all the years of casting and hauling his fishing nets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in stiffened
to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe
the government hardened restrictions on travel to and from the war-torn nation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of hardened
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
26 June 2026
Strong integrity, without humility or collaboration, becomes rigidity—as seen in Steve Jobs, whose candor fueled innovation but hardened relationships.
—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
The companies say the Ruta Block 3 is designed for strategic deep-strike missions against high-value and hardened targets.
—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
19 June 2026
The story began with Joel (Pedro Pascal), a hardened survivor, getting hired to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone.
—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
That even once took two hardened ex-pros and pundits, Rio Ferdinand and Ally McCoist, by surprise before a game that William was attending, with George, in Paris in April 2024.
—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
Despite the uncertainty that war has brought to the wider Gulf region, Saudi Arabia is not yet fully polarized into hardened groups of hawks and doves.
—
Alexis Montambault-Trudelle,
The Conversation,
9 June 2026
Cuban leaders are believed to rely on hardened facilities, underground bunkers, tunnels, decoys, secure compounds and frequent movement.
—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
That means hardened infrastructure, redundant logistics, jointly developed air and missile defenses, more resilient energy systems, and upgrades to pipelines, ports, rail, and trade routes.
—
Daniel Benaim,
Time,
18 May 2026
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
26 June 2026
If Socrates is the intellectual hero of the ancient world, and Jesus the spiritual hero, Odysseus—hardened, brutal, grief-struck, determined to reclaim his home—is the human hero, the whole man.
—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
21 June 2026
The left’s internationalism—once the calling card of progress—has hardened into hostility to Israel, across academia, NGOs, mainstream-media outlets, and the United Nations.
—
Adam Louis-Klein,
The Atlantic,
18 June 2026
Over the previous three postseasons, heartbreak hardened this core.
—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
As new video-making tools have led to an surge in AI slop, YouTube has hardened its content policies.
—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
13 June 2026
Her tenor hardened during her Friday radio interview.
—
Nicholas Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
13 June 2026
The division of Korea hardened during the Korean War (1950–53).
—
Ethan Teekah,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
12 June 2026
The build then hardened into application maintenance, where one-time projects became long-running support contracts that billed year after year.
—
Janakiram Msv,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Adjective
Kimberli Pierce said her husband came home a hardened man.
—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
26 June 2026
Strong integrity, without humility or collaboration, becomes rigidity—as seen in Steve Jobs, whose candor fueled innovation but hardened relationships.
—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
The companies say the Ruta Block 3 is designed for strategic deep-strike missions against high-value and hardened targets.
—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
19 June 2026
The story began with Joel (Pedro Pascal), a hardened survivor, getting hired to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone.
—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
That even once took two hardened ex-pros and pundits, Rio Ferdinand and Ally McCoist, by surprise before a game that William was attending, with George, in Paris in April 2024.
—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
Despite the uncertainty that war has brought to the wider Gulf region, Saudi Arabia is not yet fully polarized into hardened groups of hawks and doves.
—
Alexis Montambault-Trudelle,
The Conversation,
9 June 2026
Cuban leaders are believed to rely on hardened facilities, underground bunkers, tunnels, decoys, secure compounds and frequent movement.
—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
That means hardened infrastructure, redundant logistics, jointly developed air and missile defenses, more resilient energy systems, and upgrades to pipelines, ports, rail, and trade routes.
—
Daniel Benaim,
Time,
18 May 2026
Verb
She’s hardened, and these two young people from culinary school, Carmy and Sydney, threaten more loss in this family.
—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
26 June 2026
If Socrates is the intellectual hero of the ancient world, and Jesus the spiritual hero, Odysseus—hardened, brutal, grief-struck, determined to reclaim his home—is the human hero, the whole man.
—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
21 June 2026
The left’s internationalism—once the calling card of progress—has hardened into hostility to Israel, across academia, NGOs, mainstream-media outlets, and the United Nations.
—
Adam Louis-Klein,
The Atlantic,
18 June 2026
Over the previous three postseasons, heartbreak hardened this core.
—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
As new video-making tools have led to an surge in AI slop, YouTube has hardened its content policies.
—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
13 June 2026
Her tenor hardened during her Friday radio interview.
—
Nicholas Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
13 June 2026
The division of Korea hardened during the Korean War (1950–53).
—
Ethan Teekah,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
12 June 2026
The build then hardened into application maintenance, where one-time projects became long-running support contracts that billed year after year.
—
Janakiram Msv,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardened
Adjective
-
Be sure to cover your head and neck with your arms, and crawl under a sturdy table if possible.
-
While linen and silk are light and airy, some occasions call for a sturdier yet equally breathable option.
Adjective
-
Dealing with stubborn dark spots?
-
But when the adults decide to cancel Christmas and the magical star fades away, a stubborn little bird named Pikkuli sets off on a winter adventure with friends to find the Starlight Reindeer and bring back the light.
Verb
-
For Indonesia, the extended review comes after MSCI raised concerns about market accessibility earlier this year and froze the country's stocks from its indexes in January, citing investability concerns.
-
Every day, the snow crept farther down the mountains, and as the horses waded the creeks, ice froze on their tails and bellies.
Verb
-
In recent days, after Museveni was sworn in for a seventh consecutive term, Kainerugaba has strengthened his grip with a series of directives and orders usually reserved for the head of state.
-
The good news is that resilience can be strengthened long before a crisis occurs.
Verb
-
Pulisic played a dynamic first half in the Americans' historic 4-1 victory over Paraguay to open their home World Cup nearly two weeks ago, but the AC Milan midfielder came off at halftime after an injury from training stiffened up.
-
Nicks on the edge or stiffened, curled rubber will leave streaks.
Adjective
-
The minty leaves of this winter-hardy plant can be used as a culinary herb.
-
Plant hardy arborvitae in zones 2 through 8, placing containers in areas with dappled sunlight, full sun, or partial shade.
Adjective
-
And in Season Two, Survival of the Thickest went all out on a dream wedding for Peppermint, an idea Buteau was adamant about making it on screen.
-
Advertisement Throughout negotiations, Tehran has been adamant that any cease-fire with Washington must also end the hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, and that any permanent truce must lead to Israel withdrawing its forces from southern Lebanon.
Adjective
-
Projections varied in the weeks leading up to the draft with no real consensus among draft analysts, but in the last 24 hours there were strong indications the Clippers would choose Wagler and the Nets would take Brown.
-
Your desire for solitude and introspection is strong during today’s Scorpio moon.
Cite this Entry
“Hardened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardened. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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