harshened

verb

past tense of harshen
as in strengthened
to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe recent changes to the drunk driving laws harshen penalties for repeat offenders

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harshened
  1. strengthened
  2. stiffened
Verb
  • After detecting the model’s attempt to access the internet, OpenAI paused frontier reinforcement learning while engineers strengthened the systems containing its agents.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Republicans have not won any Congressional or statewide races in Connecticut since 2006 as Democrats have strengthened their political hold in a blue state.
    — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of strengthened
Verb
  • However, for someone with a preexisting condition such as pulmonary fibrosis – where the tissue of the lungs has stiffened and can no longer stretch to full capacity – a viral infection may make their condition worse.
    — Karin Wuertz-Kozak, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Texas stiffened and took the 21-point lead to the locker room.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of stiffened
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

harshen
harshened
harshening
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Cite this Entry

“Harshened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harshened. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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