1
as in freezing
to become physically firm or solid
the glue begins to harden as soon as it is exposed to air
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in strengthening
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure
pioneer women who had been hardened by years of living on the plains
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3
as in toughening
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
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4
as in stiffening
to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe
the government hardened restrictions on travel to and from the war-torn nation
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hardening
Beyond hardening technical defenses, companies operating in the AI age need to examine a wide range of practices, say industry experts, updating the way software patches are deployed and rebuilding the human layer of security.
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Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
This will keep gloves from hardening and extend their life.
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Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
8 June 2026
Dark lunar maria are visible sprawling across the moon's surface, where lava once rose to the surface before hardening to form enormous basaltic plains.
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Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
Clinker consists predominantly of calcium silicate minerals known as alite and belite, compounds largely responsible for cement’s strength and hardening behavior.
—
New Atlas,
26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hardening
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
This will keep gloves from hardening and extend their life.
—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
8 June 2026
Dark lunar maria are visible sprawling across the moon's surface, where lava once rose to the surface before hardening to form enormous basaltic plains.
—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
Clinker consists predominantly of calcium silicate minerals known as alite and belite, compounds largely responsible for cement’s strength and hardening behavior.
—
New Atlas,
26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hardening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardening
Verb
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On Tuesday the team—which includes nine specialists across medicine, performance and psychology—could have an array of ice bags, cold towels, freezing vests and even cooling overshoes at their disposal.
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There is no shortage of policy proposals for reducing college costs, ranging from freezing tuition to canceling student debt.
Verb
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Yes, rucking can improve posture by strengthening the upper back, shoulders and core muscles that hold your spine upright.
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Machine learning systems can identify suspicious patterns and behavioral anomalies in real time, strengthening both fraud prevention and member protection.
Verb
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Major media companies operating traditional linear networks have been under pressure in recent years amid stiffening competition from large tech rivals as programming migrates to streaming.
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Volkswagen’s premium Audi brand has lost much of its luster in recent years, dragged down by trade tariffs, stiffening competition and a patchy electric-vehicle roster.
Cite this Entry
“Hardening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardening. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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