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
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 there is a troubling shift that occurs when success hardens into excess and gives way to fear, a paradox that emerges all too often.
—Michael Sonnenfeldt, Fortune, 12 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
The snow eventually hardens like a concrete entombment.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
As temperature rises, these vibrations intensify, creating a more chaotic, more resistant barrier that paradoxically hardens the metal’s surface against high-speed stress.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026
As a result, the product hardens, strengthens, and smooths brittle, peeling nails.
—Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 9 Feb. 2026
The regime shapes us into its likeness, hardens the heart.
—Azar Nafisi, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
The glue slowly hardens, giving surgeons time to position the flap.
—Jolene Edgar, Allure, 16 Mar. 2026
But there is a troubling shift that occurs when success hardens into excess and gives way to fear, a paradox that emerges all too often.
—Michael Sonnenfeldt, Fortune, 12 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
The snow eventually hardens like a concrete entombment.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
As temperature rises, these vibrations intensify, creating a more chaotic, more resistant barrier that paradoxically hardens the metal’s surface against high-speed stress.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026
As a result, the product hardens, strengthens, and smooths brittle, peeling nails.
—Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 9 Feb. 2026
The regime shapes us into its likeness, hardens the heart.
—Azar Nafisi, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardens
Verb
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My eyes are back on Lopez, who freezes in the oak.—
Calin Van Paris,
Outside,
19 Mar. 2026
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The average person knows 0 degrees Celsius is 32 degrees Fahrenheit — the temperature at which water freezes — which Chicagoans would likely say isn't that cold.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The bill also strengthens data collection and commercialization readiness requirements to improve accountability.—
Noelle Harff,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Mar. 2026
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How genealogy data strengthens data broker profiles Here is where the situation becomes even more concerning.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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What began as breathlessness hardened into silicosis, an irreversible disease that stiffens the lungs until even ordinary movement becomes effort.—
Dr. Céline Gounder,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
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The luxury retailer, weighed down by debt, is under pressure as consumers shift their shopping habits and competition stiffens.—
Brian Womack,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hardens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardens. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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