harden
verb (used with object)
to make hard or harder.
harden
1 American
[hahr-dn]
/ ˈhɑr dn /
verb (used with object)
hardens,
present (3rd person singular)
hardened,
past participle, past
hardening
present participle
-
to make hard or harder.
to harden steel.
- Antonyms:
- soften
-
to make pitiless or unfeeling.
to harden one's heart.
-
to make rigid or unyielding; stiffen.
The rigors of poverty hardened his personality.
-
to strengthen or confirm, especially with reference to character, intentions, feelings, etc.; reinforce.
- Antonyms:
- weaken
-
to make hardy, robust, or capable of endurance; toughen.
-
Military. to reinforce the structure of (a military or strategic installation) to protect it from nuclear bombardment.
verb (used without object)
hardens,
present (3rd person singular)
hardened,
past participle, past
hardening
present participle
-
to become hard or harder.
-
to become pitiless or unfeeling.
-
to become rigid or unyielding; stiffen.
His personality hardened over the years.
-
to become confirmed or strengthened.
His resistance hardened.
-
to become inured or toughened.
The troops hardened under constant fire.
-
Commerce. (of a market, prices, etc.)
-
to cease to fluctuate; firm.
When the speculators withdrew from the market, the prices hardened.
-
to rise higher.
-
Harden
2
American
[hahr-dn]
/ ˈhɑr dn /
noun
harden
1
British
/ ˈhɑːdən /
verb
-
to make or become hard or harder; freeze, stiffen, or set
-
to make or become more hardy, tough, or unfeeling
-
to make or become stronger or firmer
they hardened defences
-
to make or become more resolute or set
hardened in his resolve
-
(intr) commerce
-
(of prices, a market, etc) to cease to fluctuate
-
(of price) to rise higher
-
harden
2
British
/ ˈhɑːdən /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
hardenabilitynoun
-
overhardenverb
-
rehardenverb
-
prehardenverb (used with object)
-
unhardenverb (used with object)
-
hardenableadjective
-
unhardenableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
hardensimple
-
hardenssimple
-
have hardenedperfect
-
has hardenedperfect
-
am hardeningprogressive
-
are hardeningprogressive
-
is hardeningprogressive
-
have been hardeningperfect progressive
-
has been hardeningperfect progressive
Past
-
hardenedsimple
-
had hardenedperfect
-
was hardeningprogressive
-
were hardeningprogressive
-
had been hardeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of harden
Middle English word dating back to 1150–1200; see origin at hard, -en 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Artificial turf becomes intolerably hot, and the soil in natural grass can harden until it’s like playing on concrete.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
"Strategically, this will harden Abu Dhabi's view that passive defence is not enough," Krieg said.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
The impact of this, he said, is Israeli troops "having to move more cautiously, harden positions, use physical protective measures such as nets and cages, and devote more attention to immediate local defence".
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
The service takes technical measures to harden the security of its server network.
From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2026
“Let me remind everybody, we are not here to win or lose. Justice often fails because it seeks to punish, not to heal. Jails and fines harden people.”
From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen
He and Harden were two of their top three scorers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
The Clippers sent 36-year-old James Harden, who was having his highest-scoring season in six years, to Cleveland in exchange for the 26-year-old Garland and a 2028 second-round selection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
Brown knew that Brunson was among the best one-on-one scorers in the NBA, and that Cleveland guard James Harden was notoriously slow-footed on defense.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
At 23:46 GMT on 31 October, Matabiswana left the venue with his associates while Harden left using a different exit, police said.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
“Madam, Mrs. Harden says she has sent up the usual quantity.”
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Volcanoes form when molten rock from Earth's mantle rises to the surface and hardens.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
Before, Ahmad could tap — meaning to cut incisions in the acacia trees, which exude sap that a few weeks later hardens into nodules of Hashab gum — four orchards in one go.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
The sun hardens up the clay and creates a faster surface that generally favours bigger servers, more aggressive returners and players who hit with top-spin.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
If it hardens, Apple is renting its future.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 22, 2026
Director Van Helsing's face hardens at the sight of my Junior Agent badge.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Sticking to largely sycophantic media who lobbed softball questions hardened his ceiling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
AI enables traditional cyberattacks to be carried out at greater scale and speed, and networks need to be hardened to address the threat.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
But the conflict hardened political and diplomatic estrangement, leaving little space even for limited normalisation.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
And the intensifying competition with the U.S. has hardened his resolve to set China on a course of self-sufficiency from energy to semiconductors and to limit foreign influence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
Lilya took these losses hard, and her flying and fighting hardened, along with her personality.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
It marks a wider trend of governments hardening their stance on undocumented migration, with many, including the UK and Italy, adopting measures aimed at deterring it.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
UV light is used for air purification, curing resins in 3D printing, hardening gels in dental fillings, and even applications such as nail treatments.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
The head of Nevada’s welfare department, George Miller, was hardening his agency into a national model for a more-aggressive approach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
In another sign of its hardening stance, North Korea deleted all references to uniting the divided peninsula from its constitution, an AFP review of the latest version this week showed.
From Barron's ● May 8, 2026
I felt something leaden take hold in my stomach just then, my anxiety hardening into dread.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
