as in hardening
to make stronger (as through hardship)
She was annealed by the tragedies of her childhood.
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Recent Examples of annealing
The system will form the backbone of a long-term partnership between FAU and D-Wave, which provides both annealing and gate-model quantum computing platforms.
—
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Engineers sparingly tried annealing hardware space, so Juno's experience could be instructive for future missions.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
Workable quantum solutions that make use of annealing systems are now in use.
—Chuck Brooks, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
After annealing, the links are strong covalent bonds [below].
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Aug. 2024
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Engineers sparingly tried annealing hardware space, so Juno's experience could be instructive for future missions.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
Workable quantum solutions that make use of annealing systems are now in use.
—Chuck Brooks, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
After annealing, the links are strong covalent bonds [below].
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annealing
Verb
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Nancy Watkins, a principal and actuary with consulting firm Milliman in San Francisco, said one of the report’s most important recommendations is statewide coordination of efforts to reduce wildfire threats through home hardening and removing flammable materials around buildings.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
But Iran, which watched the 2003 toppling of Saddam Hussein next door, has been hardening its regime ever since.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Ahead of this system on Thursday, southwest winds will be strengthening across the region.—
Dave Aguilera,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The state has been strengthening fire safety standards, specifically with the passage of Assembly Bill 3074 in 2020 and Senate Bill 504 in 2024, which direct residents to create an ember-resistant defensible space zone within the first 5 feet surrounding a structure, also known as Zone 0.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Beyond the school district, various businesses and organizations are now joining in the initiative, reinforcing the message to students.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
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At Ford, Heather is already reinforcing the foundation’s commitment to human rights, social justice, and democracy.—
Elizabeth Alexander,
Time,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The serum is formulated with a holy grail powerhouse that consists of a fortifying complex, firming complex, and Matrixyl 3000—all pivotal for minimizing signs of aging.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
2 Apr. 2026
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Analysts noted similar activity occurred before last year’s Operation Midnight Hammer strikes, suggesting a pattern of fortifying critical facilities in anticipation of attacks.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Annealing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annealing. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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