Synonyms of hardening

hardening

verb

present participle of harden

1

as in freezing

to become physically firm or solid

the glue begins to harden as soon as it is exposed to air

Synonyms & Similar Words

• freezing
• stiffening
• solidifying
• congealing
• concreting
• firming (up)
• setting
• thickening
• indurating
• gelling
• crystallizing
• caking
• encrusting
• coagulating
• tempering
• gelatinizing
• jellying
• clotting
• rigidifying
• ossifying
• callusing
• calcifying
• jelling
• annealing
• petrifying
• case-hardening
• gelating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• softening
• liquefying
• melting
• thawing
• dissolving
• smelting
• fusing
• fluxing
• unfreezing
• deliquescing

2

as in strengthening

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

• strengthening
• toughening
• fortifying
• inuring
• adjusting
• steeling
• seasoning
• reinforcing
• adapting
• bolstering
• tempering
• indurating
• bracing
• annealing
• enforcing
• acclimating
• vitalizing
• acclimatizing
• invigorating
• immunizing
• conditioning
• buttressing
• accustoming
• boosting
• supporting
• training
• habituating
• propping (up)
• breaking in
• naturalizing
• limbering (up)
• forearming

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• softening
• weakening
• exhausting
• sapping
• crippling
• enervating
• debilitating
• incapacitating
• sensitizing
• enfeebling
• emasculating
• hamstringing

3

as in toughening

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

• strengthening
• toughening
• fortifying
• tempering
• beefing (up)
• annealing
• energizing
• vitalizing
• invigorating
• firming (up)
• toning (up)
• restrengthening

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• weakening
• crippling
• debilitating
• damaging
• hurting
• impairing
• paralyzing
• injuring
• incapacitating
• harming
• enervating
• enfeebling
• undermining
• breaking down
• undercutting
• wearing out
• sapping

4

as in stiffening

to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe

the government hardened restrictions on travel to and from the war-torn nation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• strengthening
• stiffening
• toughening
• harshening

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• easing
• softening
• lessening
• ameliorating
• moderating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of hardening

These rules manifest as algorithms, AI models, platforms, technological infrastructure and social convention, hardening through use into the conditions of cultural life. — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 17 Aug. 2026

The state needs to have programs to help incentivize and help subsidize these hazard mitigation measures and home hardening measures. — John Ramos, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

Each Fernie's Frozen Espresso-tini Bar is artfully drizzled with ribbons of chocolate shell coating, hardening into a delicate, crackable bite, making for the ultimate pick-me-up on a stick! — Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2026

The rate rose to 18% by 2020 — despite extensive home-hardening practices. — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026

Structured as a coming-of-age narrative, the novel sets Lenny’s small domestic world—her parents, her brother Adi, her godmother, and, above all, her Hindu nanny Ayah—against the hardening politics outside it. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026

Japan plans to spend up to $100 billion over five years on stockpiling ammunition, maintenance, and hardening military bases across its archipelago. — Huong Le-Thu, Time, 22 July 2026

Over time, this prevents excessive soap scum and residue from hardening on the surface. — Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 11 July 2026

Residents are encouraged to continue taking preparedness steps, including maintaining defensible space, considering home-hardening improvements, signing up for emergency alerts and reviewing evacuation plans. — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 7 July 2026