HARKENS Synonyms: 12 Similar and Opposite Words

harkens

verb

present tense third-person singular of harken

as in listens

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 harkens On the apparel front, a Ballistic Tech Vest harkens back to ’90s utility gear, while Gore-Tex rears its head again on a circa-2000 Mountain Jacket with seam seals and another shell that reaches full length. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2026 In his brief time at the helm, Warsh has sought to chart a new course that harkens back to the pre-financial crisis Fed where markets were given less certain signals and the Fed had a smaller hand. — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026 Giving a mother who kills preferential treatment harkens to the patronizing assumption that women lack agency. — Dr. Susan Hatters Friedman, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026 Although the whiskey’s presentation harkens back to a bygone chapter from the American frontier, its distribution is markedly modern. — Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 The menu here harkens back to the Old West with a focus on wild game. — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 31 July 2026 The king’s role harkens back to a time when the monarch exercised supreme power and chose a prime minister to run the government. — Jill Lawless, Fortune, 20 July 2026 The name harkens back to the company’s vessel that debuted in 1996. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 10 July 2026 That’s the arc the film settled on, one that harkens back to the DC Comics Silver Age. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 4 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harkens

Verb

Eventually, Karen finds the phone and listens to the recordings, which help prove Babette’s guilt.

— Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
Customers are paying attention to who understands them, who listens and who can adapt.

— Jodi Amendola, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of listens

Verb

What is your response to the criticism that this pick hearkens to an era of Florida politics that is long gone?

— Sofia Baltodano, Miami Herald, 12 June 2026
Yenson reminds readers that the pope’s choice of name hearkens to Pope Leo XIII, who initiated modern Catholic social teaching and emphasized peace and justice.

— Kalpana Jain, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026