1
as in to strengthen
to increase the ability of (as a muscle) to exert physical force
weight lifting will help toughen those flabby muscles of yours
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to harden
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure
hiking every morning through snow and ice toughened him considerably
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3
as in to stiffen
to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe
attempts to toughen conditions under which waivers from military service would be permitted
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Recent Examples of toughen
The fatal flaw couldn’t be sufficiently mitigated, though, once the schedule toughened.
—
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Assembly Bill 1087 toughens penalties for drivers who cause a death while under the influence of intoxicants.
—Sacbee.com, 4 Jan. 2026
Curing toughens the skin and helps heal small cuts, extending the squash's shelf life.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 4 Jan. 2026
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected Ukraine’s denials and said Moscow would toughen its diplomatic stance.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for toughen
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Assembly Bill 1087 toughens penalties for drivers who cause a death while under the influence of intoxicants.
—Sacbee.com, 4 Jan. 2026
Curing toughens the skin and helps heal small cuts, extending the squash's shelf life.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 4 Jan. 2026
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected Ukraine’s denials and said Moscow would toughen its diplomatic stance.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for toughen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toughen
Verb
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Denmark will also tighten controls on foreigners without legal residence, introduce a new anklet monitor for criminal foreigners, reopen an embassy in Syria and strengthen cooperation with authorities in Afghanistan.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
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Snow is expected to pile up in parts of the southern Appalachians, the Carolinas and southern Virginia late Friday night into Saturday as the storm rapidly strengthens offshore.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Perhaps a serious literary consideration of ambition, one that breaks through the shell of Millennial disillusionment that has hardened around the subject in recent years, would need to follow Orlean’s lead in focusing on craft.—
Lily Meyer,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
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Its silvery surface is scarred by dark regions known as lunar maria, where molten lava once flooded enormous impact basins before hardening to create enormous basaltic plains.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Extra material had been sewn into the crotch to stiffen and add surface area that would help during takeoff.—
Brian Melley,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
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Spending more time indoors often means moving less, and inactivity can lead joints to stiffen over time.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Toughen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toughen. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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