as in reviving
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as in increase
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in hardening
to increase the ability of (as a muscle) to exert physical force
lifting weights every day will eventually strengthen your muscles the army makes new recruits run for miles in order to strengthen them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fortifying
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure
required weeks of physical therapy to strengthen his arm enough to pitch for the team again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in deepening
to make markedly greater in measure or degree
encouraged the boarding school students to strengthen their ties with the community by doing public service
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in bracing
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally
strengthened herself for the moment she'd have to tell her friend that she had lost the borrowed necklace
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5
as in stiffening
to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe
a bill was introduced to strengthen punishments for hate crimes
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of strengthening
Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 24 Feb. 2026
Rosemary oil—one of the key ingredients in the mask—is like hair-growth gold, but ceramides, jojoba, and keratin are also present in the strengthening and thickening formula.
—Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 10 Feb. 2026
It is highly valued for scalable, high-volume production, particularly in energy storage and composite strengthening.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
It’s also made with a strengthening blend of amino acids and violet pigments.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 26 Dec. 2025
After one of the driest Decembers in decades, Northern and Central California began to see rain again on Tuesday as a strengthening series of storms was set to soak the region, forecasters said.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
The Spartan Village student housing tower also represents a key strengthening of the bonds between San Jose State and downtown, Staedler said.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
By Friday morning, snow chances will increase across Montana, where an upslope snow event may develop under arctic high pressure to the north and a strengthening low over the central High Plains.
—Kathryn Prociv, NBC news, 26 Nov. 2025
However, amid reversion of funds and future fiscal changes, locations like The Hive become necessary for community strengthening, engagement and hope.
—Miami Herald, 20 Nov. 2025
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
She is focused on addressing the affordability crisis many face, protecting people's rights, reducing health care costs, tackling homelessness, and strengthening the public education system, according to her campaign website.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
These and other developments make this a moment of reckoning for lawmakers and wildlife officials who have repeatedly resisted outlawing vehicular killing of wildlife, or who have shied away from strengthening anti-cruelty laws.
—Wendy Keefover, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Federal guidelines recommend strengthening activities one to two days per week, targeting major muscle groups.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Mojtaba Khamenei, the former leader’s son and one of the most influential figures in the Iranian clerical establishment, has reportedly survived US and Israeli strikes against him, strengthening his hand.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026
The Okereke release, which saves $9 million against the salary cap, is also a reminder that Harbaugh will prioritize stopping the run and strengthening the roster up the middle of the field in his personnel moves.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
As Central Florida continues to grow, the power of showing up — one volunteer, one hour, one project at a time — will remain essential to fueling nonprofits, strengthening our neighborhoods and keeping our community thriving for generations to come.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2026
Florida state lawmakers this legislative session are considering dozens of bills aimed at strengthening domestic violence laws as cases continue to rise across the state.
—Nikiya Carrero, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Noun
Western scalp treatments often rely on stronger, single-minded actives (think minoxidil or high-dose exfoliants) aimed at correcting a problem quickly, while Korean formulas take a more holistic, long-game approach, combining soothing, strengthening, and circulation-stimulating ingredients.
—Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 24 Feb. 2026
Rosemary oil—one of the key ingredients in the mask—is like hair-growth gold, but ceramides, jojoba, and keratin are also present in the strengthening and thickening formula.
—Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 10 Feb. 2026
It is highly valued for scalable, high-volume production, particularly in energy storage and composite strengthening.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
It’s also made with a strengthening blend of amino acids and violet pigments.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 26 Dec. 2025
After one of the driest Decembers in decades, Northern and Central California began to see rain again on Tuesday as a strengthening series of storms was set to soak the region, forecasters said.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
The Spartan Village student housing tower also represents a key strengthening of the bonds between San Jose State and downtown, Staedler said.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
By Friday morning, snow chances will increase across Montana, where an upslope snow event may develop under arctic high pressure to the north and a strengthening low over the central High Plains.
—Kathryn Prociv, NBC news, 26 Nov. 2025
However, amid reversion of funds and future fiscal changes, locations like The Hive become necessary for community strengthening, engagement and hope.
—Miami Herald, 20 Nov. 2025
Verb
McDonnell said the department was increasing visibility, strengthening enforcement and expanding partnerships to deter criminal activity in the area and hold offenders accountable.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
She is focused on addressing the affordability crisis many face, protecting people's rights, reducing health care costs, tackling homelessness, and strengthening the public education system, according to her campaign website.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
These and other developments make this a moment of reckoning for lawmakers and wildlife officials who have repeatedly resisted outlawing vehicular killing of wildlife, or who have shied away from strengthening anti-cruelty laws.
—Wendy Keefover, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Federal guidelines recommend strengthening activities one to two days per week, targeting major muscle groups.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Mojtaba Khamenei, the former leader’s son and one of the most influential figures in the Iranian clerical establishment, has reportedly survived US and Israeli strikes against him, strengthening his hand.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026
The Okereke release, which saves $9 million against the salary cap, is also a reminder that Harbaugh will prioritize stopping the run and strengthening the roster up the middle of the field in his personnel moves.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
As Central Florida continues to grow, the power of showing up — one volunteer, one hour, one project at a time — will remain essential to fueling nonprofits, strengthening our neighborhoods and keeping our community thriving for generations to come.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2026
Florida state lawmakers this legislative session are considering dozens of bills aimed at strengthening domestic violence laws as cases continue to rise across the state.
—Nikiya Carrero, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strengthening
Noun
-
This represents a sixfold increase when compared with the last 16 months of the Biden administration, according to the analysis.—
Christopher Buchanan,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
-
But there are ways to push that increase higher if needed.—
Mark Dee
March 6,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The lunar sea Mare Crisium (the Sea of Crisis) is just visible as a dark circular feature at the top of the sunlit lunar disk, where lava flooded a network of impact craters over a billion years ago, before hardening into a vast basaltic plain.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The Defense Department released a blueprint in January for hardening bases against drones that slip past air defenses, outlining measures for commanders, including netting to trap or prematurely detonate incoming drones and additional hardened overhead cover.—
Steven Beynon,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Elevating their expertise and fortifying their decades-long involvement in the process of independent evaluation and guidance is critical to restore public trust in federal policymaking.—
Jerome Adams,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Iran already appears to be preparing for this option by fortifying its defenses around its nuclear assets, satellite images from Vantor indicate.—
Nancy A. Youssef,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The song revolves slowly, casting loop against deepening loop, asking for the same careful quality of attention as William Basinski or Stars of the Lid.—
Sasha Geffen,
Pitchfork,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Yet many of the old-timers and young tech workers who live here seem to have accepted the coming changes as an unavoidable reality of California’s deepening housing crisis.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
For decades, California has been bracing for the sea.—
Marcos Magaña,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Though the ballot measure also didn’t say the state needed to provide all of that money at once, lawmakers were already bracing for a budget shortfall last year and groaned under the strain of finding any more funding.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The machine dryer agitates the clothing and prevents fibers from stiffening during drying, which is why clothing comes out feeling soft.—
Emily Benda Gaylord,
The Spruce,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The Czech Republic’s new government will seek to transform the defense industry into an engine of the nation’s export economy as the flagship auto sector faces stiffening competition, Karel Havlicek, minister for industry and trade, told us.—
Suzanne Lynch,
Bloomberg,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Cayenne owners will be able to track charging via their My Porsche app and are able to create pre-conditioning settings to meet their individual needs.—
Eileen Falkenberg-Hull,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Dyson also claims that the Omega nourishing collection delivers up to 94 percent stronger hair, compared to using non-conditioning shampoo on straight hair.—
Tianwei Zhang,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2019
Noun
-
New approach achieved an enhancement Scientists reported that earlier research on similar materials typically increased heat conductivity by only about 5–10 percent, but this new approach achieved an enhancement close to 300 percent.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Quintana pleaded guilty in April 2019 to assault with a firearm with sentencing enhancements for gang activity and the personal use of a gun.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strengthening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strengthening. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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