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
Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
To minimize the risk of this happening, teams may choose pre-hardened images from containerization services that have already secured their images.
—Felysha Walker, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
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
Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2026
Once that outer mold has hardened, the wax or polymer is melted out from the inside, leaving an empty shell in which molten metal is poured and set into the precisely detailed final product.
—New Atlas, 10 Apr. 2026
Implementing cloud security practices can be challenging for organizations without deep security expertise; however, this is where Docker hardened images (DHIs) come in.
—Felysha Walker, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
The work only repaired and hardened about 10% of what was lost.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
In the winter, the treacle hardened.
—Literary Hub, 6 Apr. 2026
Christian villagers who stayed behind in southern Lebanon, ignoring Israel’s blanket evacuation warnings for the area, have increasingly hardened into enclaves surrounded by fierce clashes.
—ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026
Iran is at war, and its regime, after massacring protesters in January, has now hardened in combat.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 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
Adjective
In that sense, the discussion around hardened container images reflects a larger shift.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
To minimize the risk of this happening, teams may choose pre-hardened images from containerization services that have already secured their images.
—Felysha Walker, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
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
Verb
The outer layer hardened and became impermeable.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2026
Once that outer mold has hardened, the wax or polymer is melted out from the inside, leaving an empty shell in which molten metal is poured and set into the precisely detailed final product.
—New Atlas, 10 Apr. 2026
Implementing cloud security practices can be challenging for organizations without deep security expertise; however, this is where Docker hardened images (DHIs) come in.
—Felysha Walker, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
The work only repaired and hardened about 10% of what was lost.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
In the winter, the treacle hardened.
—Literary Hub, 6 Apr. 2026
Christian villagers who stayed behind in southern Lebanon, ignoring Israel’s blanket evacuation warnings for the area, have increasingly hardened into enclaves surrounded by fierce clashes.
—ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026
Iran is at war, and its regime, after massacring protesters in January, has now hardened in combat.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardened
Adjective
-
These Bagsmart Clear Toiletry Bags keep everything visible and TSA-compliant, with a sturdy plastic construction that doesn’t feel flimsy or prone to tearing.—
Samantha Leal,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Numerous designers, including Alessandro Michele and the late Vivienne Westwood, have credited the Queen as an inspiration, not least for the kind of sturdy, tweedy daywear shown in a section devoted to her off-duty garments.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
More than a day later, firefighters remained on scene to douse stubborn hotspots.—
Naveen Dhaliwal,
CBS News,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Use a cooktop scraper or soft sponge to remove stubborn residue while the cooktop is still warm for easier cleaning.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In the span of roughly seven months, the USDA froze the program’s grant funding, invited grantees to reapply without climate and DEI language, imposed sweeping new restrictions on solar on farmland, and closed future application cycles.—
Ayurella Horn-Muller,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
When robots lurched, slipped, and occasionally froze mid-stride at the 2026 Beijing half-marathon on April 19, the internet quickly turned the spectacle into a meme.—
Ni Tao,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In 2025, state legislators strengthened that law by adding additional protections.—
Karen Brown,
NPR,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Her approach reflects a belief that leadership is strengthened through curiosity, adaptability and persistence.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
15 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
-
Garlic is a slow-growing and cold-hardy plant that’s usually planted in garden beds in autumn, long after the rest of the garden has been put to bed for the year.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Apr. 2026
-
This idyllic Austin property, designed with Texas heat in mind, uses hardy, drought-tolerant plants and pea gravel to replace thirsty turf.—
Katherine Owen,
Southern Living,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Following their Play-In loss, Leonard was non-committal about his future, but Frank was adamant about the team’s intentions.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The police were very adamant from early on in the investigation that no one in the Guthrie family was involved.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Central bankers must be strong enough to listen to a diversity of views from all corners…humble enough to be open-minded to new ideas and new economic developments…wise enough to translate imperfect data into meaningful insight…and dedicated enough to make judgments faithfully and wisely.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The project increases Georgia’s already strong presence in the growing defense industry.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hardened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardened. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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