1
as in to freeze
to become physically firm or solid
the glue begins to harden as soon as it is exposed to air
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2
as in to strengthen
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure
pioneer women who had been hardened by years of living on the plains
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3
as in to toughen
to increase the ability of (as a muscle) to exert physical force
arm muscles that were hardened by all the years of casting and hauling his fishing nets
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4
as in to stiffen
to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe
the government hardened restrictions on travel to and from the war-torn nation
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harden
Locals, even some hardened to the realities of big-time sports, bought into Kiffin’s genuine affection for the people and the place.
—
Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 11 May 2026
Don’t Pull Out Your Potatoes Prematurely While yellow leaves mean that soil baking is done, the potatoes still need some time underground to harden up.
—Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 11 May 2026
But diplomatic relations hardened over the following months, as progress on ending the war appeared to stall.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 10 May 2026
The same is true if the entire jar seems overly hardened or clumped into a solid mass.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for harden
Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 11 May 2026
Don’t Pull Out Your Potatoes Prematurely While yellow leaves mean that soil baking is done, the potatoes still need some time underground to harden up.
—Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 11 May 2026
But diplomatic relations hardened over the following months, as progress on ending the war appeared to stall.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 10 May 2026
The same is true if the entire jar seems overly hardened or clumped into a solid mass.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for harden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harden
Verb
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Notably absent from the SEC’s motion to freeze Kapoor’s assets and its civil complaint was any mention of his hiring Suarez as a consultant for URBIN while the Location Ventures affiliate was seeking approval from City Hall for a residential and retail project at Commodore Plaza in Coconut Grove.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2026
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Switzerland is a country that feels like it’s frozen in time.—
JD Linville,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Ensuring 100% availability is the stitch in time for strengthening the storage infrastructure for business continuity.—
Eric Herzog,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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In 2025, 250 professionals benefited from technical training programs to strengthen local crews as demand grows.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Verb
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The rings arise because the metal softens as the can compresses, then stiffens, then compresses and stiffens again, repeating the pattern until the compression is complete—akin to something called homoclinic snaking.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 May 2026
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Will these Knicks stick to the process when the competition stiffens in the second round?—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harden. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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