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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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
Begin hardening off the tomato seedlings a couple of weeks before the frost date in your geographical region.
—
Lauren David, Southern Living, 23 Mar. 2025
That statistic should serve as a wake-up call for any organization still focused on hardening its networks while neglecting the individuals who interact with them.
—Tony Bradley, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
New growth triggered by a late fertilizer application often doesn’t go through the hardening process and is more likely to be damaged by freezing temperatures.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Mar. 2025
This means hardening or abandoning coastal areas, developing crops that are resistant to droughts and extreme heat, building systems that can help farmers predict extreme weather, and finding new ways to conserve and reuse water.
—Veerabhadran Ramanathan, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2018
See All Example Sentences for hardening
Lauren David, Southern Living, 23 Mar. 2025
That statistic should serve as a wake-up call for any organization still focused on hardening its networks while neglecting the individuals who interact with them.
—Tony Bradley, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
New growth triggered by a late fertilizer application often doesn’t go through the hardening process and is more likely to be damaged by freezing temperatures.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Mar. 2025
This means hardening or abandoning coastal areas, developing crops that are resistant to droughts and extreme heat, building systems that can help farmers predict extreme weather, and finding new ways to conserve and reuse water.
—Veerabhadran Ramanathan, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2018
See All Example Sentences for hardening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardening
Verb
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Trump has also taken an unusually hands-on approach to pressure policy and leadership changes at a slew of colleges and universities by freezing, or threatening to withhold, federal funding at campuses, including Columbia, George Mason, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Brown, and Michigan.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Sep. 2025
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That's why removing your personal information from these sites is just as important as freezing your credit.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Building and strengthening one-on-one relationships is the way to grow and defend yourself.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
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Merrill even walked with two outs to bring the go-ahead run to the plate but Ryan O’Hearn struck out to end a loss that prevented the Padres from truly strengthening their postseason position.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Yet that comes as experts say competition among convenience stores is stiffening.—
Natalie Rice,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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But most recently it has been hit from several sides, most notably stiffening competition primarily from Amazon, off-pricers and membership clubs as well as Walmart and Target.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hardening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardening. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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