1
as in sturdy
able to withstand hardship, strain, or exposure
hardened from years of deprivation and grief, the man regarded the house fire as just another misfortune in a life filled with them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stubborn
sticking to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
hardened cynics regarded those TV shows as being anything but reality-based
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in froze
to become physically firm or solid
the glue begins to harden as soon as it is exposed to air
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in strengthened
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure
pioneer women who had been hardened by years of living on the plains
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in toughened
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in stiffened
to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe
the government hardened restrictions on travel to and from the war-torn nation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hardened
Ryan Brennan
april 1, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Electronic warfare systems often fail against autonomous drones with hardened communications, while missile interceptors are inefficient against low-cost, high-volume threats.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
One way to protect American military assets from small drones is to place them in hardened aircraft shelters.
—Brynn Tannehill, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026
The hardened look of a world-weary MI6 agent.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
So essentially, a beverage cooler is just a polystyrene foam container with a hardened plastic coating.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
The backbone would rely on hardened fiber, encrypted satellite links, and shared cyber intelligence feeds.
—Judah Taub, semafor.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2026
Since then, Tehran has fortified Kharg heavily, building air defenses, hardened infrastructure and underground storage designed to keep oil flowing even under sustained attack.
—Imtiaz Tyab, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026
Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
The songs on the album also represent durability and strength, hardened by the turmoil one may experience in their 20s.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
However, Egyptian magicians are able to do the same feat, and Pharaoh’s heart remains hardened, despite the major environmental disruption.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Iran and the United States hardened their positions as a diplomatic push for a ceasefire in the Middle East war appeared to falter on Thursday.
—Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
And the Iranian position has now hardened.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
But as hip-hop hardened and matured, so did the expectations.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Turning points that became businesses For all three, passion hardened into commitment in stages, each step built out of earlier constraints.
—J.m. Banks
march 16, Kansas City Star, 16 Mar. 2026
This is a time of year when the Canadiens need to do that, because playoff-hardened, veteran teams do that, as Hutson mentioned Saturday night.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
The sand mound in question is reportedly approximately 108 feet tall, made of hardened sand rather than bedrock.
—Ryan Brennan
april 1, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Electronic warfare systems often fail against autonomous drones with hardened communications, while missile interceptors are inefficient against low-cost, high-volume threats.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
One way to protect American military assets from small drones is to place them in hardened aircraft shelters.
—Brynn Tannehill, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026
The hardened look of a world-weary MI6 agent.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
So essentially, a beverage cooler is just a polystyrene foam container with a hardened plastic coating.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
The backbone would rely on hardened fiber, encrypted satellite links, and shared cyber intelligence feeds.
—Judah Taub, semafor.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2026
Since then, Tehran has fortified Kharg heavily, building air defenses, hardened infrastructure and underground storage designed to keep oil flowing even under sustained attack.
—Imtiaz Tyab, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026
Verb
In the darkened foyer, Ember contemplated this unassuming bit of paper, momentarily paralyzed by a mixture of dread and excitement stirred together, an overpowering sensation that oozed from the crown of her head, down the length of her body, then hardened, like a soft golden resin becoming solid.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
The songs on the album also represent durability and strength, hardened by the turmoil one may experience in their 20s.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
However, Egyptian magicians are able to do the same feat, and Pharaoh’s heart remains hardened, despite the major environmental disruption.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Iran and the United States hardened their positions as a diplomatic push for a ceasefire in the Middle East war appeared to falter on Thursday.
—Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
And the Iranian position has now hardened.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
But as hip-hop hardened and matured, so did the expectations.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Turning points that became businesses For all three, passion hardened into commitment in stages, each step built out of earlier constraints.
—J.m. Banks
march 16, Kansas City Star, 16 Mar. 2026
This is a time of year when the Canadiens need to do that, because playoff-hardened, veteran teams do that, as Hutson mentioned Saturday night.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardened
Adjective
-
Be sure to cover your head and neck with your arms, and crawl under a sturdy table if possible.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The inner ball is made from sturdy solid styrofoam.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Data readiness, security, integrations, workflow redesign, and building human skills remain stubborn bottlenecks for true AI implementation.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Michigan made only two three-pointers all night but still muscled its way to a 69-63 victory over stingy, stubborn Connecticut.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The effort was surprising, given successive US administrations froze it out over its alleged support for militant groups, accusations Pakistan repeatedly denied.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Women who froze at 35 or younger saw live birth rates around 52%, compared to roughly 19% for those who froze at 40 or older.—
Allison Palmer,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The council then strengthened the language to prohibit the sale of any kratom to anyone under 21, mirroring similar language recently passed in Kansas City, according to Lee’s Summit Development Services Director Tracy Albers.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The Penguins strengthened their hold on second in the Metropolitan Division by blitzing the Panthers during the first half of the second period, pouring in four goals in less than 10 minutes.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
June stiffened, a pillar of ice.—
Meredith Maran,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Officials this year have increased restrictions on flying drones and stiffened the penalties for their unauthorized use—including jail time.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Eastern Colorado prairie was once carpeted with a mix of hardy grasses, flowering plants, and small shrubs that supported great herds of bison and pronghorn, abundant prairie dog colonies, predators like coyotes, foxes, and badgers, as well as numerous bird species, reptiles, and insects.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
7 Apr. 2026
-
In colder hardiness zones, choose a hardy variety such as ‘Arp’ or ‘Hill Hardy’.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Warsh has been adamant about wanting to ease monetary policy.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
3 Apr. 2026
-
But Dugalić was adamant on a normal-length college career.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Royal Bahamian police said Brian Hooker told investigators that his wife fell over from an 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy — along with the keys to the boat — and she was carried away by strong rip currents.—
Cristian Benavides,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The National Weather Service says strong winds could generate breaking waves of 8 feet causing dune erosion and road overwash.—
Mark Price
April 8,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hardened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardened. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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