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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Traditional bridge construction in Iran, Oman, and Afghanistan often involved the use of sarooj, a special hydraulic mortar (a mortar that hardens on contact with water) made of lime, clay, sand, and, in some recipes, gypsum.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Lightly scrub grout or tile lines before buildup hardens further.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
Whether schools catch up, whether employers reverse the junior hiring freeze, and whether Washington produces anything resembling a workforce policy will determine whether the current anxiety hardens into something permanent.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026
Gulf’s stance hardens There have been strong signs that the Gulf’s collective patience has been wearing thin.
—Holly Ellyatt,emma Graham, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
His turn into villainy is trickier, yet Gosling hardens his voice and his gaze and successfully spars with the murderer’s row of Giamatti, Clooney, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
The glue slowly hardens, giving surgeons time to position the flap.
—Jolene Edgar, Allure, 16 Mar. 2026
But history suggests that war hardens political systems and entrenches dictatorships.
—Alex Shams, Time, 14 Mar. 2026
Lee Harvey Oswald folding under Jack Ruby’s bullet—a split second that hardens into our collective memory.
—Christopher Anderson, Vanity Fair, 27 Feb. 2026
Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Lightly scrub grout or tile lines before buildup hardens further.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
Whether schools catch up, whether employers reverse the junior hiring freeze, and whether Washington produces anything resembling a workforce policy will determine whether the current anxiety hardens into something permanent.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026
Gulf’s stance hardens There have been strong signs that the Gulf’s collective patience has been wearing thin.
—Holly Ellyatt,emma Graham, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
His turn into villainy is trickier, yet Gosling hardens his voice and his gaze and successfully spars with the murderer’s row of Giamatti, Clooney, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
The glue slowly hardens, giving surgeons time to position the flap.
—Jolene Edgar, Allure, 16 Mar. 2026
But history suggests that war hardens political systems and entrenches dictatorships.
—Alex Shams, Time, 14 Mar. 2026
Lee Harvey Oswald folding under Jack Ruby’s bullet—a split second that hardens into our collective memory.
—Christopher Anderson, Vanity Fair, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardens
Verb
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Her value, as those who have followed her career in Europe will attest, is found not in elite athleticism, but in the hesitation dribble that freezes a defender, the mid-range pull-up in traffic, the pocket pass that springs a cutter before the defense can react.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
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But less than three minutes into the conversation, Earl leaps off Maslany’s lap, freezes in place and stares ahead.—
Senior Television,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
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The latest, published in Nature today, strengthens the case that LAP1-B is an early cosmic puzzle piece packed with material freshly manufactured by dying Population III stars.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
13 May 2026
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Pacific Ocean projections for 2026 An array of model images, including these from the North American multi-modal ensemble model, project water in the Pacific Ocean will be much warmer than normal by summer, as an El Niño strengthens.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Golden State’s schedule stiffens with an upcoming trip to New York and Indiana.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
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The rings arise because the metal softens as the can compresses, then stiffens, then compresses and stiffens again, repeating the pattern until the compression is complete—akin to something called homoclinic snaking.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hardens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardens. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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