Synonyms of hardened

hardened 1 of 2

adjective

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

• sturdy
• hardy
• strong
• rugged
• tough
• stout
• vigorous
• toughened
• durable
• cast-iron
• hard-bitten
• hard
• inured
• robust
• healthy
• staunch
• permanent
• resilient
• stable
• thriving
• flinty
• tenacious
• leathery
• stalwart
• unyielding
• enduring
• tempered
• lasting
• immortal
• fortified
• staying
• muscular
• everlasting
• seasoned
• imperishable
• able-bodied
• flourishing
• brawny
• fit
• virile
• annealed
• prospering
• sound
• husky
• lusty
• hale
• red-blooded
• strapping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• weak
• soft
• delicate
• tender
• worn
• weakened
• wasted
• enfeebled
• diseased
• emasculated
• exhausted
• fragile
• crippled
• debilitated
• sensitive
• incapacitated
• vulnerable
• susceptible
• infirm
• unsound
• frail
• nonhardy
• enervated
• puny
• sapped
• temporary
• transient
• worn-out
• yielding
• perishable
• mortal
• run-down
• resistless
• unresistant

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

• stubborn
• adamant
• steadfast
• obdurate
• obstinate
• unyielding
• uncompromising
• intransigent
• implacable
• unbending
• ossified
• hardheaded
• dogged
• adamantine
• hard
• immovable
• inflexible
• unrelenting
• headstrong
• bullheaded
• willful
• opinionated
• obsessive
• determined
• hard-nosed
• mulish
• pat
• pertinacious
• persistent
• pigheaded
• stiff-necked
• perverse
• inconvincible
• strict
• relentless
• self-willed
• iron
• rigid
• resolved
• self-opinionated
• tenacious
• deaf to reason
• unflinching
• severe
• wayward
• stern
• hard-line
• defiant
• stouthearted
• wrongheaded
• inexorable
• firm
• cantankerous
• hidebound
• refractory
• recalcitrant
• hard-shell
• intractable
• invincible
• disobedient
• single-minded
• narrow-minded
• uncooperative
• indomitable
• unmanageable
• mutinous
• set
• unconquerable
• confirmed
• contumacious
• cussed
• inveterate
• unruly
• insurgent
• bloody-minded
• insubordinate
• anal-retentive
• unregenerate
• contrary
• ungovernable
• hell-bent
• exacting
• demanding
• froward

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• pliable
• flexible
• compliant
• pliant
• amenable
• acquiescent
• complying
• agreeable
• yielding
• obedient
• docile
• submissive
• tractable
• willing
• responsive
• receptive
• accepting
• reasonable
• manageable
• placable
• relenting
• temperate
• persuadable
• subservient
• slavish
• governable

hardened

2 of 2

verb

past tense of harden

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

• froze
• stiffened
• solidified
• indurated
• congealed
• concreted
• firmed (up)
• set
• encrusted
• gelled
• crystallized
• caked
• thickened
• callused
• coagulated
• calcified
• gelatinized
• tempered
• jellied
• case-hardened
• rigidified
• petrified
• clotted
• ossified
• jelled
• annealed
• gelated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• softened
• liquefied
• melted
• dissolved
• fused
• thawed
• smelted
• fluxed
• deliquesced
• unfroze

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

• strengthened
• fortified
• toughened
• inured
• steeled
• indurated
• adjusted
• seasoned
• adapted
• reinforced
• tempered
• bolstered
• braced
• annealed
• acclimated
• enforced
• invigorated
• acclimatized
• accustomed
• immunized
• buttressed
• vitalized
• conditioned
• trained
• supported
• habituated
• broke in
• propped (up)
• boosted
• naturalized
• forearmed
• limbered (up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• softened
• weakened
• exhausted
• sapped
• crippled
• incapacitated
• sensitized
• enfeebled
• emasculated
• enervated
• debilitated
• hamstrung

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

• strengthened
• toughened
• fortified
• tempered
• beefed (up)
• annealed
• energized
• invigorated
• vitalized
• firmed (up)
• toned (up)
• restrengthened

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• weakened
• crippled
• damaged
• hurt
• paralyzed
• injured
• impaired
• incapacitated
• enfeebled
• harmed
• debilitated
• enervated
• undermined
• broke down
• undercut
• wore out
• sapped

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

• stiffened
• strengthened
• toughened
• harshened

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• eased
• softened
• lessened
• ameliorated
• moderated

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of hardened

Adjective

Its government, dominated by hardened veterans of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and largely indifferent to the suffering of the Iranian population, appears determined to fight on. — Richard Haass, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2026

Severe neuropathy can dull the sensation of excessive pressure, raising injury risk, and advanced lymphedema with hardened swelling calls for medical advice first. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 14 Sep. 2026

People with severe neuropathy may not feel excessive pressure, raising the risk of injury, and advanced lymphedema with hardened swelling also warrants a medical conversation before use. — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Sep. 2026

Amid statues and posters of the Virgen de Guadalupe was a rosary that a man had made of hardened bread during his months in an immigration detention facility. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

After spending 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread, Jean Valjean is being released a hardened man. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026

The cold temperature and the snap of the hardened chocolate really elevates the whole experience. — Francesca Krempa, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 Aug. 2026

The water alone will create steam in the microwave, softening any hardened debris. — Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 29 Aug. 2026

Under the shadow of a red Force Recon Association hat and tinted glasses, Capers’ eyes wore a hardened look that made no effort to hide the darkness and despair that gripped him at that moment. — Ethan Rocke, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026

Verb

While organizations hardened their front door, modern adversaries did not abandon social engineering—far from it. — Firas Azmeh, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026

With the warm, soft color of the skirt and top combo, Watts’ look was hardened by her leather jacket. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026

European countries have hardened their stance against Chinese imports over fears that an influx of goods like solar panels and EVs could hollow out the bloc’s industries. — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026

The skepticism hardened as the Ellisons made several controversial moves after Skydance acquired Paramount last summer. — Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026

Gently Scrape It Off Once the wax has fully hardened, use a dull tool, like as a butter knife or hard plastic spatula, to gently lift it off the fabric. — Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2026

The researchers say the mixture, once dried and hardened, is comparable in strength to low-grade concrete and could one day be used to build multi-story buildings on Mars. — New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2026

Hadn’t a building type that initially looked like liberation from the limits of analog architecture hardened into a predictable placeless formula? — Sam Lubell, Curbed, 21 Sep. 2026

But the language hardened fast, turning a graphics convention into shorthand for identities it was never built to describe. — Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 21 Sep. 2026