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

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

OpenAI halted some of its AI model training and is hardening its testing, monitoring and training protocols following the incident. — Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

Mohsen Rezaei was named this month as part of senior appointments widely seen as hardening Tehran’s political and military stance. — ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026

Mohsen Rezaei was named this month as part of senior appointments widely seen as hardening Tehran's political and military stance. — Arkansas Online, 23 Aug. 2026

Polls show most Canadians oppose concessions, hardening Carney’s stance. — Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 23 Aug. 2026

The state also requires home hardening measures for the structure itself — from covering vents with mesh to block embers from entering to using fire-resistant building materials — for all new constructions since 2008. — Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026

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