as in listened
to pay attention especially through the act of hearing
young people would do well to read this wise and witty book and harken to its message
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Recent Examples of harkened
The indentations in the squishy mud harkened to a creature that had webbed toes and distinct claws.
—
Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 11 Feb. 2026
Kate Middleton harkened back to the 1960s with a vintage coat during a visit to Wales on Tuesday.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 3 Feb. 2026
Freelancer, however, harkened back to the open concept introduced by Elite, giving players 48 star systems to explore and the freedom to pursue their own destiny as traders, miners, or bounty hunters.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 31 Jan. 2026
The show, meanwhile, harkened back to eras gone by, featuring burlesque, showgirl outfits, an homage to West Side Story and references to past Las Vegas royalty, including The Rat Pack and Elvis Presley.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
The change harkened back to the format of Fun Fun Fun Fest, bringing back a centralized independent festival experience to the Austin music community.
—Mars Salazar, Austin American Statesman, 18 Dec. 2025
The casting of new pro Jan Ravnik for the recent season 34 occasioned a classic Maks-ism that harkened back to his time on the show.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Dec. 2025
Instead, the Chargers wore a much more attractive set of all-navy jerseys and pants that harkened back to the San Diego Super Chargers Era.
—Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
Wilson is building a collection of these plays in her eight-year career, but this one harkened back to another turnaround jumper from the left side of the floor that put shorthanded Las Vegas up six against the New York Liberty in Game 4 of the 2023 WNBA Finals.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 11 Feb. 2026
Kate Middleton harkened back to the 1960s with a vintage coat during a visit to Wales on Tuesday.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 3 Feb. 2026
Freelancer, however, harkened back to the open concept introduced by Elite, giving players 48 star systems to explore and the freedom to pursue their own destiny as traders, miners, or bounty hunters.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 31 Jan. 2026
The show, meanwhile, harkened back to eras gone by, featuring burlesque, showgirl outfits, an homage to West Side Story and references to past Las Vegas royalty, including The Rat Pack and Elvis Presley.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
The change harkened back to the format of Fun Fun Fun Fest, bringing back a centralized independent festival experience to the Austin music community.
—Mars Salazar, Austin American Statesman, 18 Dec. 2025
The casting of new pro Jan Ravnik for the recent season 34 occasioned a classic Maks-ism that harkened back to his time on the show.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Dec. 2025
Instead, the Chargers wore a much more attractive set of all-navy jerseys and pants that harkened back to the San Diego Super Chargers Era.
—Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
Wilson is building a collection of these plays in her eight-year career, but this one harkened back to another turnaround jumper from the left side of the floor that put shorthanded Las Vegas up six against the New York Liberty in Game 4 of the 2023 WNBA Finals.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harkened
Verb
-
Kollra had listened over two-and-a-half weeks to testimony and arguments, including testimony from one of the officers, who offered an account of the events leading up to the shooting.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
-
When Lindy shouted, women listened.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Before the collision, an air traffic controller can be heard on airport communications frantically telling the fire truck to stop.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The bill was heard in the Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation last week, and it was referred to what’s called the suspense file, a process in the statehouse where bills with fiscal impacts are set aside in the Appropriations Committee for later consideration.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harkened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harkened. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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