1
as in freezes
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 strengthens
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 toughens
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 stiffens
to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe
the government hardened restrictions on travel to and from the war-torn nation
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hardens
Uniting Prevention and Detection Traditional cybersecurity strategies often treat prevention and detection as separate undertakings—one team hardens systems to repel threats, while another prepares to identify and respond to breaches that slip through the cracks.
—
Tony Bradley, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
Another approach involves injecting the material directly into the deficit, in the form of a gel that subsequently hardens into a solid.
—Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 3 Jan. 2025
Seeing and decrying enemies at every turn inevitably hardens those opponents against you.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 Dec. 2024
Cancer Black Moon Lilith in Cancer hardens their heart as a form of emotional protection.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 3 Oct. 2024
Tony Bradley, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
Another approach involves injecting the material directly into the deficit, in the form of a gel that subsequently hardens into a solid.
—Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 3 Jan. 2025
Seeing and decrying enemies at every turn inevitably hardens those opponents against you.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 Dec. 2024
Cancer Black Moon Lilith in Cancer hardens their heart as a form of emotional protection.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 3 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardens
Verb
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Stop watering when the ground freezes and restart the watering routine in spring once garlic starts to sprout.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Sep. 2025
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Emails included in the lawsuit between Zuckerberg and the company's tech support team date back to May 2020, in which similar account freezes from 2017 are mentioned.—
John Tufts,
IndyStar,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This strengthens the case that a massive, hidden planet orbiting inside the disk has been shaping its structure since the system’s youth.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Sep. 2025
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The bill strengthens protections against antisemitism and all forms of discrimination in K-12 schools by setting clear classroom standards, increasing accountability for local school agencies and establishing teacher and administrator training.—
Daniel Klein,
Mercury News,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hardens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardens. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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