as in listening
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 harkening
The storytelling is thematically and formally rich, harkening back to the scrappy ethos of early public radio; the topics can be personal, philosophical, and even esoteric.
—
Benjamin Cannon, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
Both Sabrina Carpenter and Tate McRae elected to go retro with their respective designer looks, harkening back to the early aughts with their strapless dresses.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 8 Dec. 2025
Their music was contemplative and ethereal, often harkening back back to the psychedelic sounds of the 1960s.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025
But from the outside, this level of cultish reverence for a rock band in 2025 feels both new and nostalgic, harkening back to the days when such bands ruled the world.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
Braff and Faison launched the Scrubs rewatch podcast Fake Doctors, Real Friends in 2020, and have teamed up for a bunch of T-Mobile commercials harkening back to their onscreen friendship.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Oct. 2025
The track has roots harkening back to Don Reno, Red Smiley and The Tennessee Cutups in 1956, plus being favored by another teenage performer turned eventual Country Music Hall of Famer, Marty Stuart.
—Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean, 20 Sep. 2025
Now, brands founded and fed by Latinx leaders are among some of the industry’s most revolutionary, harkening back to tradition and creating cutting edge new techniques, many simultaneously.
—Carley Rojas Ávila, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The Pitt stood out from the pack by harkening back to the ER era of episodic storytelling and longer season lengths.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
Benjamin Cannon, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
Both Sabrina Carpenter and Tate McRae elected to go retro with their respective designer looks, harkening back to the early aughts with their strapless dresses.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 8 Dec. 2025
Their music was contemplative and ethereal, often harkening back back to the psychedelic sounds of the 1960s.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025
But from the outside, this level of cultish reverence for a rock band in 2025 feels both new and nostalgic, harkening back to the days when such bands ruled the world.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
Braff and Faison launched the Scrubs rewatch podcast Fake Doctors, Real Friends in 2020, and have teamed up for a bunch of T-Mobile commercials harkening back to their onscreen friendship.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Oct. 2025
The track has roots harkening back to Don Reno, Red Smiley and The Tennessee Cutups in 1956, plus being favored by another teenage performer turned eventual Country Music Hall of Famer, Marty Stuart.
—Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean, 20 Sep. 2025
Now, brands founded and fed by Latinx leaders are among some of the industry’s most revolutionary, harkening back to tradition and creating cutting edge new techniques, many simultaneously.
—Carley Rojas Ávila, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The Pitt stood out from the pack by harkening back to the ER era of episodic storytelling and longer season lengths.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harkening
Verb
-
Radio stations began playing (Taylor’s Version) albums instead of the originals, and fans began listening to them on streaming services.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
-
End-users can also use the new Jabra Plus mobile app with its customization options like equalizer controls for listening to music, wind noise reduction and fast firmware updates from their smartphone.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
For years now, womenswear designers have been delivering us long, thin (and often useless) scarves—harking all the way back to early-aughts Chloé and Marc Jacobs days, when boho-chic ruled the runways.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
19 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harkening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harkening. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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