harden

¹ American  

[hahr-dn] / ˈhɑr dn /

verb (used with object)

1. to make hard or harder.

   to harden steel.

   Synonyms:

   ossify, petrify, indurate, solidify

   Antonyms:

   soften

2. to make pitiless or unfeeling.

   to harden one's heart.

3. to make rigid or unyielding; stiffen.

   The rigors of poverty hardened his personality.

4. to strengthen or confirm, especially with reference to character, intentions, feelings, etc.; reinforce.

   Synonyms:

   nerve, brace, steel, fortify

   Antonyms:

   weaken

5. to make hardy, robust, or capable of endurance; toughen.

6. Military. to reinforce the structure of (a military or strategic installation) to protect it from nuclear bombardment.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to become hard or harder.

2. to become pitiless or unfeeling.

3. to become rigid or unyielding; stiffen.

   His personality hardened over the years.

4. to become confirmed or strengthened.

   His resistance hardened.

5. to become inured or toughened.

   The troops hardened under constant fire.

6. Commerce. (of a market, prices, etc.)

   1. to cease to fluctuate; firm.

      When the speculators withdrew from the market, the prices hardened.

   2. to rise higher.

Harden ² American  

[hahr-dn] / ˈhɑr dn /

noun

1. Sir Arthur, 1865–1940, English biochemist: Nobel Prize 1929.

---

harden ¹ British  

/ ˈhɑːdən /

verb

1. to make or become hard or harder; freeze, stiffen, or set

2. to make or become more hardy, tough, or unfeeling

3. to make or become stronger or firmer

   they hardened defences

4. to make or become more resolute or set

   hardened in his resolve

5. (intr) commerce

   1. (of prices, a market, etc) to cease to fluctuate

   2. (of price) to rise higher

---

harden ² British  

/ ˈhɑːdən /

noun

1. a rough fabric made from hards

---

Other Word Forms

• hardenability noun
• hardenable adjective
• overharden verb
• preharden verb (used with object)
• reharden verb
• unharden verb (used with object)
• unhardenable adjective

Etymology

Origin of harden

Middle English word dating back to 1150–1200; hard, -en ¹

Example Sentences

Torak looked down at the small anxious cub, and hardened his heart.

From Literature

He takes another step forward and my muscles harden and tense, ready to run if I have to.

From Literature

For others the trigger is grievance, isolation or personal instability, which gradually hardens inside online echo chambers, where resentment circulates freely.

From The Wall Street Journal

According to the study, these dunes slowly hardened into rock billions of years ago after interacting with groundwater moving beneath the Martian surface.

From Science Daily

Over time, the mineral deposits hardened the fractured zones into ridges.

From Science Daily