INDURATE Synonyms: 194 Similar and Opposite Words

indurate 1 of 2

adjective

ˈin-də-rət

Definition of indurate

as in ruthless

having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings an indurate heart that admits no love or mercy

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

indurate

2 of 2

verb

ˈin-də-ˌrāt

as in to freeze

to become physically firm or solid clay that had been indurated by long exposure to the summer sun

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to strengthen

to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure such a brutal upbringing could only callous his soul and indurate his heart to the suffering of others

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of indurate

Adjective

His characters strive to achieve things—such as love, self-command, or financial success—but those efforts are made ironic in the face of a world that, while sometimes beautiful to look at, remains indurate to human happiness. — Scott Bradfield, The New Republic, 24 Jan. 2023

Recent Examples of Synonyms for indurate

Adjective

Communism’s pure economic theory is now rarely practiced anywhere — even if ruthless leaders in hybrid capitalist economies like China and Russia have retained the authoritarian iron fists of their predecessors.

— Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
Otherwise, Kail sticks closely to the template established for him, recreating every scene and sequence from the first movie with ruthless fidelity and adding essentially no departures of any significance.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 8 July 2026

Definition of ruthless

Verb

But the freeze covers only about 28% of the total housing stock in the city, and critics allege that freezing rents will only make the housing shortage worse.

— Scott Cohn, CNBC, 10 July 2026
Xinhua said the factory’s owner and managers were arrested and the company’s accounts were frozen.

— ABC News, ABC News, 10 July 2026

Definition of freeze

Verb

The odor comes from the spadix, which heats up to about 98 degrees to strengthen the smell.

— Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
For Sudduth, the festival’s long-term success will be measured not only by attendance but by its ability to strengthen 18th & Vine as a destination and encourage visitors to return year after year.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026

Definition of strengthen

Adjective

Oscar Wilde, for example, reposes beneath a hulking deity whose iconoclastic castration, back in 1961, did little to restrain pilgrims seeking to smear red lips across his stony physique.

— Emily Cox, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026
Instead of looking like a sleek urban loft, the room can quickly start to feel cold, stony, and impersonal.

— Natasha Bazika, Martha Stewart, 9 May 2026

Definition of stony

Verb

However, some experts are concerned about how the roughly year-long effort to modify the aircraft may not have been sufficient to fully harden it for operations in high-threat airspace.

— Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 10 July 2026
Instead of building parts one layer at a time, the system hardens the printing material all at once, producing seamless structures.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026

Definition of harden

Adjective

The poem that precedes it, the Iliad, is a cruel and beautiful work, the ultimate story of war; the Odyssey has its warlike passages, but its central energies seem almost commonplace beside the merciless fury of Achilles.

— David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
Humility is the posture; the standard is merciless.

— Luis E. Romero, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026

Definition of merciless

Verb

Group 1 is pulmonary arterial hypertension, a rare and severe version that occurs when blood vessels in the lungs narrow and stiffen.

— Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 26 June 2026
Pulisic played a dynamic first half in the Americans' historic 4-1 victory over Paraguay to open their home World Cup nearly two weeks ago, but the AC Milan midfielder came off at halftime after an injury from training stiffened up.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 June 2026

Definition of stiffen

Adjective

Not long afterward, he was elected president on a platform deeply hostile to the West and its liberal ideology, and especially to the United States — threatening a hard fight in the event of war.

— Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
That’s hard to imagine of a president who uses the office to promote and prosper from his own brand name.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026

Definition of hard

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“Indurate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indurate. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

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