case-hardened 1 of 2

adjective

as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings a case-hardened homicide detective who has seen it all

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

case-hardened

2 of 2

verb

past tense of case-harden
as in tempered

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for case-hardened
  1. ruthless
  2. crystallized
  3. merciless
  4. petrified
  5. stony
Adjective
  • However, claiming his birthright means surviving the Renaissance’s most ruthless rival — his own family, who refuse to accept him.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The higher Arsenal climb, the finer those margins become, and the more ruthless Arteta and Arsenal may have to be.
    — James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruthless
Verb
  • But the moment that crystallized the problem was personal, not professional.
    — Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • That brittleness, though, is exactly what has made Criston’s turn toward nihilism at the end of the second season, and now crystallized in episode five, so gratifying.
    — The Editors, Vulture, 17 July 2026
Definition of crystallized
Adjective
  • In Braun’s script, the merciless obstacle course of singlehood seems just absurd.
    — Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Regehr was relentless and merciless, and Oilers fans had to witness it over and over again.
    — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 25 July 2026
Definition of merciless
Verb
  • The first film follows a group of French high-school students who travel to Naples on a school trip to discover the ruins of Pompeii and the bodies petrified by Vesuvius.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 May 2026
  • Johansson plays her with a tough edge to match her Queens accent, but Hester is clearly petrified by this perfect storm of ugly events.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
Definition of petrified
Adjective
  • Oscar Wilde, for example, reposes beneath a hulking deity whose iconoclastic castration, back in 1961, did little to restrain pilgrims seeking to smear red lips across his stony physique.
    — Emily Cox, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026
  • Instead of looking like a sleek urban loft, the room can quickly start to feel cold, stony, and impersonal.
    — Natasha Bazika, Martha Stewart, 9 May 2026
Definition of stony
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Case-hardened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/case-hardened. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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