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

The result, DiStefano said, is homeowners who spend tens of thousands of dollars hardening their houses and still get non-renewed. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026

Allen says homeowners who spend money hardening their properties, including making homes more resistant to wildfires, should receive meaningful benefits from insurers for lowering their risk. — Kenny Choi, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Governments around the world are hardening their AI stances as more agentic hacks breach critical systems. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Nearly all Senate Democrats voted to require the State Department to report on Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, in a continuing sign of the party’s hardening stance toward Israel. — Noah Robertson, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026

The specifications hardening around agents are careful about this line. — Dr. Aditya Vikram Kashyap, Forbes.com, 22 Sep. 2026

September is near the end of the season, so avoid high-nitrogen doses, which can interfere with tuber hardening and storage. — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Sep. 2026

Hope for finding survivors is fading as rescuers race against time and quickly hardening mud. — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026

Scouring Pads Cleaning spills as soon as possible after cooking can keep them from hardening into a stain that feels impossible to remove. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2026