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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Recent Examples of harden
But before transplanting, your plants will need time to adjust—this process is called hardening off.
—
Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 11 Mar. 2026
Preparing For Planting Tomato transplants, whether purchased from the store or grown from seed, require a period of hardening off before they are planted in the garden.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2026
And on those higher ozone days, there were more hemorrhage (bleeding, as opposed to clotting) strokes and more plaque buildup causing major arteries to harden.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 4 Mar. 2026
The Defense Department released a blueprint in January for hardening bases against drones that slip past air defenses, outlining measures for commanders, including netting to trap or prematurely detonate incoming drones and additional hardened overhead cover.
—Steven Beynon, ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for harden
Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 11 Mar. 2026
Preparing For Planting Tomato transplants, whether purchased from the store or grown from seed, require a period of hardening off before they are planted in the garden.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2026
And on those higher ozone days, there were more hemorrhage (bleeding, as opposed to clotting) strokes and more plaque buildup causing major arteries to harden.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 4 Mar. 2026
The Defense Department released a blueprint in January for hardening bases against drones that slip past air defenses, outlining measures for commanders, including netting to trap or prematurely detonate incoming drones and additional hardened overhead cover.
—Steven Beynon, ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for harden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harden
Verb
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Saad told the Statesman recently that the ski area opened two-thirds of its terrain this season, and the nonprofit also froze season pass sale prices for next year in an unusual move.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
14 Mar. 2026
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He’s successfully advocated for creating new incentives for affordable housing construction and automatically renewing a program that freezes property values for some seniors, heading off big bill spikes from rising property values.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The project aims to strengthen security controls and increase automation across daily operations.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
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Trump signed into law the first reconciliation bill passed by this Congress last year, extending his tax cuts, funding immigration enforcement, and strengthening work requirements for certain federal social welfare programs.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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What began as breathlessness hardened into silicosis, an irreversible disease that stiffens the lungs until even ordinary movement becomes effort.—
Dr. Céline Gounder,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
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After the deputies put him back into the chair, Mitchell’s body stiffened, with his legs straight in front of him and his head lolling back.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harden. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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