harden

¹

[hahr-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

[hahr-dn]

noun

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

harden

¹

/ 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

/ ˈhɑːdən /

noun

1. a rough fabric made from hards

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of harden¹

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

Example Sentences

Ukraine is also a candidate to join the EU, but is facing hardening opposition from Hungary and tensions along their shared border, after Kyiv accused Budapest of sending reconnaissance drones into western Ukraine.

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The Center for Biological Diversity and others advocate for a “hands-off” approach to California’s forests and urge management of the wildfire crisis through home hardening and evacuation planning alone.

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In fact, being at the centre of a storm about free speech seems to have hardened his resolve.

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The real risk, he told the BBC, lies elsewhere: a broadened alliance could harden into an "Islamic Nato", complicating Delhi's 'Look West' strategy across trade, investment and strategic corridors in the Gulf.

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"There's a Korean proverb that says, 'after the rain, the ground hardens'."

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