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
The second provision — the new home hardening disclosure — went into force in July and applies to homes built before 2010.
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Bloomberg, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025
Three key lessons for protecting homes from wildfire emerged, two of them applying to individual homeowners hardening houses against fire, and clearing nearby flammable materials like plants and fences and one requiring communitywide action.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2025
When a partner continually feels trapped behind excuses or counterattacks, the original frustration then hardens into resentment.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
But as Beijing hardens its ties with Russia, North Korea and other nations unfriendly to the West, the emergence of two camps and the contest between them appears clearer than ever.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harden
Bloomberg, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025
Three key lessons for protecting homes from wildfire emerged, two of them applying to individual homeowners hardening houses against fire, and clearing nearby flammable materials like plants and fences and one requiring communitywide action.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2025
When a partner continually feels trapped behind excuses or counterattacks, the original frustration then hardens into resentment.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
But as Beijing hardens its ties with Russia, North Korea and other nations unfriendly to the West, the emergence of two camps and the contest between them appears clearer than ever.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harden
Verb
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Prosecutors accused Read of backing up into O’Keefe, her boyfriend of two years, with her SUV, leaving him to freeze and die on the front yard of a Canton home where the pair was supposed to continue a night out after the bars closed that cold, snowy early January morning.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
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Using an ice chamber, the team froze mixtures of water, carbon dioxide, methane and ammonia to a bone-chilling –420 degrees Fahrenheit (-253 degrees Celsius), mimicking frigid conditions near the moon's surface.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The farmer's innovation exemplifies prosocial AI; systems that are tailored, trained, tested and targeted to bring out the best in and for people and planet; technology that is designed to strengthen rather than extract from social fabric.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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Economists expect the yuan could strengthen to 7 per dollar by the end of this year — a conviction driven in large part by Beijing's efforts to revive economic growth and encourage more investment onshore.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Yet that comes as experts say competition among convenience stores is stiffening.—
Natalie Rice,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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Despite herself, Cali stiffened.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harden. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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