as in hardens
to make stronger (as through hardship)
She was annealed by the tragedies of her childhood.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anneals
Verb
-
Then the storm moves on, the sun returns, and the surface hardens again, cracked and chalky, as if the place is trying to erase the evidence that water ever touched it.—
MacKenzie Sigalos,
CNBC,
1 Jan. 2026 -
But her attitude toward them eventually hardens.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Buonanotte now strengthens United’s options in the final third and allows Farke to pivot from his five-man defence where necessary.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Published on Wednesday in Nature and derived from deeper, more time-consuming JWST observations of a dozen LRDs that split their light into its constituent colors, or spectra, a new study strengthens the case that these objects are, in fact, gigantic, growing black holes.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
That night, Pam fortifies herself with a few drinks and answers when the phone rings.—
Allegra Goodman,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
-
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority regularly fortifies religious rights, but the justices have also been wary of expanding government officials’ exposure to damages in their individual capacities.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The word edgy is often mistakenly applied to comedians whose work just reinforces conventional opinions and prejudices with extra swear words.—
John Roy,
Vulture,
13 Jan. 2026
-
This concentration of attractions reinforces Charlotte’s position as the heart of American stock car racing.—
Bill Bootz,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Jan. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Anneals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anneals. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
