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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Having proclaimed Reform as the de facto opposition, Labour spent much of its first year in government trying to appeal to right-wing voters by hardening its rhetoric and policy on immigration.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
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Add another several days up to a week for hardening off.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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President Charles Schattenberg, who joined after years with a national PEO, has been instrumental in strengthening the operational backbone.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
4 Mar. 2026
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Mojtaba Khamenei, the former leader’s son and one of the most influential figures in the Iranian clerical establishment, has reportedly survived US and Israeli strikes against him, strengthening his hand.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This demonstrates how thoughtful innovation can expand financial opportunity while reinforcing a healthier, more inclusive small business financing ecosystem for years to come.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, Yasmin, Hayley, and Henry’s threesome is dangled as yet another piece of kompromat, reinforcing how intimacy in Industry is constantly converted into leverage.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Iran already appears to be preparing for this option by fortifying its defenses around its nuclear assets, satellite images from Vantor indicate.—
Nancy A. Youssef,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
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Inside church walls, some are already fortifying rooms and stockpiling food and blankets.—
Caitlin Hu,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Annealing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annealing. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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