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
This is a different shade of minimalism for Marci, harkening to the gutter ’90s-era beatmaking represented by the dingy floppy disk on the album cover.
—
Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 28 Jan. 2026
On Thursday, Amazon MGM unveiled a first look at Turner in character as Croft, with the new interpretation of the heroine harkening back to the gaming icon's look from the earlier video games released in the mid-late '90s.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Jan. 2026
But launching it in its app first empowers the most customers, said Mike Aragon, president of Ford’s Integrated Services software business, harkening to Ford’s history with the Model T that first made the automobile accessible to the masses.
—Breana Noble, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
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
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
Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 28 Jan. 2026
On Thursday, Amazon MGM unveiled a first look at Turner in character as Croft, with the new interpretation of the heroine harkening back to the gaming icon's look from the earlier video games released in the mid-late '90s.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Jan. 2026
But launching it in its app first empowers the most customers, said Mike Aragon, president of Ford’s Integrated Services software business, harkening to Ford’s history with the Model T that first made the automobile accessible to the masses.
—Breana Noble, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harkening
Verb
-
In District 181, DeVito works as a resource teacher, providing small pull-out groups focused on developing students’ listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, and often pushing into classrooms, O’Connor said.—
Chuck Fieldman,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Instead of listening to reason, mobs of angry senior citizens around the country started to form into groups demanding justice.—
Tom Margenau,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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 5 Feb. 2026.
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