as in listening
to pay attention especially through the act of hearing
young people would do well to read this wise and witty book and harken to its message
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Recent Examples of harkening
The Pitt stood out from the pack by harkening back to the ER era of episodic storytelling and longer season lengths.
—
Joe Reid, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
The term predates automobiles entirely, harkening back to the Wild West when the passenger sitting next to a stagecoach driver would carry a very literal shotgun.
—Diana Hubbell, Popular Science, 21 Aug. 2025
Now offering drop-in tastings without an appointment is more common, harkening back to a time when visitors could stop by and sample a few wines while talking with a friendly winery tasting room rep.
—Liz Thach, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Marking the franchise’s first sequel in 14 years, Bloodlines serves as a partial prequel, harkening back to an incident in 1969.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2025
Joe Reid, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
The term predates automobiles entirely, harkening back to the Wild West when the passenger sitting next to a stagecoach driver would carry a very literal shotgun.
—Diana Hubbell, Popular Science, 21 Aug. 2025
Now offering drop-in tastings without an appointment is more common, harkening back to a time when visitors could stop by and sample a few wines while talking with a friendly winery tasting room rep.
—Liz Thach, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Marking the franchise’s first sequel in 14 years, Bloodlines serves as a partial prequel, harkening back to an incident in 1969.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harkening
listening
Verb
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Be open to listening to those young people as well, and learning from them about how things are changing, especially in the worlds of AI and digital marketing.—
Sarah Barnes-Humphrey,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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Researchers believe their approach could help resource managers working on marine conservation efforts and sustainable fishing practices, by listening to what the animals are doing, without disturbing them.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harkening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harkening. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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