annealing

verb

present participle of anneal
as in hardening
to make stronger (as through hardship) She was annealed by the tragedies of her childhood.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of annealing Over the next five years, real value will come from applying quantum principles, such as annealing and probabilistic optimization, to supply chains, finance and logistics before fault-tolerant quantum arrives. — Pravir Malik, Forbes.com, 12 Feb. 2026 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 Returning to Chip Design Tradition A common way to solve massive combinatorial optimization problems is with a search technique called simulated annealing (SA). — Somdeb Majumdar, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annealing
  1. hardening
  2. strengthening
  3. reinforcing
  4. fortifying
Verb
  • An aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition involving a tear in the main artery from the heart, due in this case to what is commonly known as hardening of the arteries.
    — Duarte Dias, CBS News, 12 July 2026
  • Over time, this prevents excessive soap scum and residue from hardening on the surface.
    — Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 11 July 2026
Definition of hardening
Verb
  • Wisconsin has committed up to $55 million in incentives to help Realta Fusion build its new headquarters and fusion research facility in Madison, a move aimed at strengthening the state’s position in the emerging fusion energy industry.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 July 2026
  • Ending our nation’s longest war in Afghanistan, strengthening NATO and supporting Ukraine.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 15 July 2026
Definition of strengthening
Verb
  • Mbappe leads a strong French attack France reached the semi-finals after defeating Morocco 2-0, recording another clean sheet and reinforcing their status as the tournament favourites.
    — Abdul Rehman, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • Satellite imagery examined in recent years has shown Iran reinforcing sensitive underground sites and constructing additional physical protection around entrances and structures.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026
Definition of reinforcing
Verb
  • The Gulf has made significant progress in fortifying its cyber resilience and digital infrastructure, but many argue that its insurance frameworks have not kept pace with the growing systemic risks posed by today’s cybercriminals.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 7 July 2026
  • Moscow has spent years fortifying Crimea, tripling its troop presence, deploying advanced air defenses and coastal batteries, and studding the land with missile launch systems.
    — Marc Santora, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of fortifying

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Cite this Entry

“Annealing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annealing. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on annealing

Nglish: Translation of annealing for Spanish Speakers

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