CASE-HARDENED Synonyms: 153 Similar and Opposite Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

case-hardened

2 of 2

verb

past tense of case-harden

as in tempered

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for case-hardened

Adjective

Arsenal created more than enough to help themselves to a bunch of goals in Naples, only to get stuck in anti-ruthless mode.

— Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Authorities raided the building and found the entrance to a tunnel controlled by the ruthless Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

— Steve Fisher, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of ruthless

Verb

The baby pink style was made of a sheer, breezy pink fabric and featured crystallized spaghetti straps that gave way to frindgy crystalized trim that decorated the hem.

— Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 5 Sep. 2026
But perhaps no situation crystallized Moreno’s blind spots more than his handling of Ohtani.

— Andy McCullough, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of crystallized

Adjective

More than 3,000 shows and a sizable cult following later, The Dark Room has evolved into a choose-your-own-adventure live action video game, presided over by Robertson as its obscene, merciless and incredibly quick-witted host.

— Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
In Braun’s script, the merciless obstacle course of singlehood seems just absurd.

— Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 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.

Browse Nearby Words

case-harden

case-hardened

case-hardening

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Case-hardened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/case-hardened. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of case-hardened

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

quorum

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes