1
as in sturdy
able to withstand hardship, strain, or exposure
hardened from years of deprivation and grief, the man regarded the house fire as just another misfortune in a life filled with them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stubborn
sticking to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
hardened cynics regarded those TV shows as being anything but reality-based
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in froze
to become physically firm or solid
the glue begins to harden as soon as it is exposed to air
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in strengthened
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure
pioneer women who had been hardened by years of living on the plains
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in toughened
to increase the ability of (as a muscle) to exert physical force
arm muscles that were hardened by all the years of casting and hauling his fishing nets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in stiffened
to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe
the government hardened restrictions on travel to and from the war-torn nation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hardened
Ryan Brennan
april 1, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Electronic warfare systems often fail against autonomous drones with hardened communications, while missile interceptors are inefficient against low-cost, high-volume threats.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
One way to protect American military assets from small drones is to place them in hardened aircraft shelters.
—Brynn Tannehill, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026
The hardened look of a world-weary MI6 agent.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
So essentially, a beverage cooler is just a polystyrene foam container with a hardened plastic coating.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
The backbone would rely on hardened fiber, encrypted satellite links, and shared cyber intelligence feeds.
—Judah Taub, semafor.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2026
Since then, Tehran has fortified Kharg heavily, building air defenses, hardened infrastructure and underground storage designed to keep oil flowing even under sustained attack.
—Imtiaz Tyab, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026
Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
The songs on the album also represent durability and strength, hardened by the turmoil one may experience in their 20s.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
However, Egyptian magicians are able to do the same feat, and Pharaoh’s heart remains hardened, despite the major environmental disruption.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Iran and the United States hardened their positions as a diplomatic push for a ceasefire in the Middle East war appeared to falter on Thursday.
—Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
And the Iranian position has now hardened.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
But as hip-hop hardened and matured, so did the expectations.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Turning points that became businesses For all three, passion hardened into commitment in stages, each step built out of earlier constraints.
—J.m. Banks
march 16, Kansas City Star, 16 Mar. 2026
This is a time of year when the Canadiens need to do that, because playoff-hardened, veteran teams do that, as Hutson mentioned Saturday night.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
The sand mound in question is reportedly approximately 108 feet tall, made of hardened sand rather than bedrock.
—Ryan Brennan
april 1, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Electronic warfare systems often fail against autonomous drones with hardened communications, while missile interceptors are inefficient against low-cost, high-volume threats.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
One way to protect American military assets from small drones is to place them in hardened aircraft shelters.
—Brynn Tannehill, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026
The hardened look of a world-weary MI6 agent.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
So essentially, a beverage cooler is just a polystyrene foam container with a hardened plastic coating.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
The backbone would rely on hardened fiber, encrypted satellite links, and shared cyber intelligence feeds.
—Judah Taub, semafor.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2026
Since then, Tehran has fortified Kharg heavily, building air defenses, hardened infrastructure and underground storage designed to keep oil flowing even under sustained attack.
—Imtiaz Tyab, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026
Verb
In the darkened foyer, Ember contemplated this unassuming bit of paper, momentarily paralyzed by a mixture of dread and excitement stirred together, an overpowering sensation that oozed from the crown of her head, down the length of her body, then hardened, like a soft golden resin becoming solid.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
The songs on the album also represent durability and strength, hardened by the turmoil one may experience in their 20s.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
However, Egyptian magicians are able to do the same feat, and Pharaoh’s heart remains hardened, despite the major environmental disruption.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Iran and the United States hardened their positions as a diplomatic push for a ceasefire in the Middle East war appeared to falter on Thursday.
—Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
And the Iranian position has now hardened.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
But as hip-hop hardened and matured, so did the expectations.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Turning points that became businesses For all three, passion hardened into commitment in stages, each step built out of earlier constraints.
—J.m. Banks
march 16, Kansas City Star, 16 Mar. 2026
This is a time of year when the Canadiens need to do that, because playoff-hardened, veteran teams do that, as Hutson mentioned Saturday night.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardened
Adjective
-
Be sure to cover your head and neck with your arms, and crawl under a sturdy table if possible.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The inner ball is made from sturdy solid styrofoam.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Across the Rockies and beyond, many of our favorite mountains were haunted by unseasonably warm spikes and stubborn weather patterns that shut out snow for weeks on end.—
Kristen Geil,
Outside,
31 Mar. 2026
-
For stubborn blockages, a plumber’s snake can help break things loose.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Mullins glanced up and saw two seconds on the clock, but time froze, the world stopped.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
30 Mar. 2026
-
In a statement, the NCAA later confirmed a malfunction happened when the scoreboard system froze, causing the horn to also freeze and blare uninterrupted for several minutes.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Eyewitness imagery strengthened that assessment.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The Worldpay deal also bolstered Global Payments presence in Europe and strengthened some of its offerings such as e-commerce capabilities.—
Justin Zacks,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The prime minister’s demeanor stiffened.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
19 Mar. 2026
-
After the deputies put him back into the chair, Mitchell’s body stiffened, with his legs straight in front of him and his head lolling back.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
At least for now, Bath’s example illustrates the possibilities in terms of both promise and avenues for development—by emulating nature (selecting hardy strains of Bacillus) and pharmaceutical engineering (capsule technology), civil engineers are rethinking concrete from the inside out.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The hardy beans are just some of the hundreds of seed varieties preserved at Native Seeds/SEARCH, whose gardens are continuously planted, even in the middle of the summer.—
John Leos,
AZCentral.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Warsh has been adamant about wanting to ease monetary policy.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
3 Apr. 2026
-
But Dugalić was adamant on a normal-length college career.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The legislation has stalled amid strong pushback from critics.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Kodai Senga got the ball for the Mets and turned in a strong performance in his season debut.—
James O'Connell,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hardened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardened. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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