1
as in freezing
to become physically firm or solid
the glue begins to harden as soon as it is exposed to air
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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
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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
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4
as in stiffening
to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe
the government hardened restrictions on travel to and from the war-torn nation
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Recent Examples of hardening
Safeguarding training data from tampering and hardening AI models against adversarial attacks ensures that your organization’s decision-making processes remain uncompromised.
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Nick Raziborsky, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
Residents can use the Office of the State Fire Marshal’s Ready for Wildfire web page to learn how to prepare for fire season; create and maintain defensible space and home hardening strategies; develop evacuation plans and plans for returning home after a wildfire.
—Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 11 Mar. 2025
Start hardening off plants one week before transplanting out into the garden.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2025
Preparing For Planting Tomato transplants, whether purchased from the store or grown from seed, require a period of hardening off before they are planted in the garden.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardening
Nick Raziborsky, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
Residents can use the Office of the State Fire Marshal’s Ready for Wildfire web page to learn how to prepare for fire season; create and maintain defensible space and home hardening strategies; develop evacuation plans and plans for returning home after a wildfire.
—Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 11 Mar. 2025
Start hardening off plants one week before transplanting out into the garden.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2025
Preparing For Planting Tomato transplants, whether purchased from the store or grown from seed, require a period of hardening off before they are planted in the garden.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardening
Cite this Entry
“Hardening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardening. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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