as in reviving
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as in increase
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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
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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
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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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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
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
Hydrolyzed rice protein helps defend against split ends, while sea buckthorn oil and squalane cushion the cuticle, so strengthening does not lead to stiffness.
—Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 31 Dec. 2025
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
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Feb. 2026
The audit also recommends the city aim to boost the value of its golf properties by strengthening its evaluations of course operators, studying revenue trends, inspecting courses more frequently and requiring operators to pay for renovations.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Total full-year sales increased 4% compared with the prior year, and Caterpillar generated robust free cash flow, further strengthening its balance sheet.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
Choosing a supplement Bladder control supplements are considered a complementary overactive bladder treatment, which means they are taken in combo with other treatments, including prescription medication, diet and exercise changes and pelvic floor strengthening exercises.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Federal guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week, with some sort of muscle-strengthening exercise on two days.
—Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026
For ReSee, The Circle is less about subscription revenue than about strengthening ties in a tightening luxury environment.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 11 Feb. 2026
That’s why three of our four experts emphasized the importance of practicing and strengthening this movement pattern.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 11 Feb. 2026
Kansas City has expressed interest in holding games in the 2033 women’s rugby World Cup coming to the United States, and officials see events like the Pacific Four Series strengthening its position.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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
Hydrolyzed rice protein helps defend against split ends, while sea buckthorn oil and squalane cushion the cuticle, so strengthening does not lead to stiffness.
—Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 31 Dec. 2025
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
The collaboration between Fincantieri and Generative Bionics also holds strategic importance in strengthening European technological sovereignty by drawing on expertise developed across research institutions and the advanced industrial supply chain.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Feb. 2026
The audit also recommends the city aim to boost the value of its golf properties by strengthening its evaluations of course operators, studying revenue trends, inspecting courses more frequently and requiring operators to pay for renovations.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Total full-year sales increased 4% compared with the prior year, and Caterpillar generated robust free cash flow, further strengthening its balance sheet.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
Choosing a supplement Bladder control supplements are considered a complementary overactive bladder treatment, which means they are taken in combo with other treatments, including prescription medication, diet and exercise changes and pelvic floor strengthening exercises.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Federal guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week, with some sort of muscle-strengthening exercise on two days.
—Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026
For ReSee, The Circle is less about subscription revenue than about strengthening ties in a tightening luxury environment.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 11 Feb. 2026
That’s why three of our four experts emphasized the importance of practicing and strengthening this movement pattern.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 11 Feb. 2026
Kansas City has expressed interest in holding games in the 2033 women’s rugby World Cup coming to the United States, and officials see events like the Pacific Four Series strengthening its position.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strengthening
Noun
-
The focus areas expected to power these margin increases for FedEx include its high-value B2B and specialized B2C segments.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Without that data, the BLS assumed that no price increases had taken place during the month for most categories of goods and services.—
Greg Iacurci,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
To get the hardening benefit, the metal must be untainted.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Those workers will focus on repairing broken lights, hardening lights to prevent copper wire theft and clearing the backlog of deferred cases.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Sandoval was one of about 90 people who participated in a January 2026 whistle-kit building event with the aim of setting up and fortifying a system to alert metro Detroit community members to the presence of immigration agents.—
Darcie Moran,
Freep.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
In public, Newsom speaks often and openly about his errors, fortifying his image as a bumptious, slightly hapless victim of his own enthusiasms.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Moving forward, Sourisse sees the business deepening its roots in Asia, citing Southeast Asia’s Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, and East Asia’s China, Japan and South Korea as markets to watch.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
-
As a catalyst, the analyst wrote that SoFi is building a durable, multi-year compounding business by deepening primary customer relationships that drive higher lifetime value, lower acquisition costs and broader cross-selling.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
These were claps of relief and encouragement from a European audience bracing for a mauling like JD Vance’s onslaught last year.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The county’s already bracing for impact.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
These include stiffening of blood vessels, changes in heart muscle function and impaired ability of the cardiovascular system to respond to exertion.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
16 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
-
Digital enhancement software enabled them to lighten and sharpen resolution to also provide a clear facial description of the driver.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The analyst is positive about ConocoPhillips achieving its 2029 free cash flow target, supported by its four major growth projects (NFE, North Field South, Port Arthur, and Willow) and $1 billion in cost reductions and margin enhancements.—
,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strengthening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strengthening. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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