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:
So an environmental review wouldn’t be required to fix an aging bridge or to harden transmission lines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
He has spent a decade arguing that central bankers talk too much, by issuing forecasts that harden into commitments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
He said that evidence from a U.S. bout of high inflation in the 1970s shows that a series of shocks that raise prices can harden over time into permanently higher inflation.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
"We may have to pace the rate of AI development to give ourselves enough time for society to harden around some of these new capability levels," Altman said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
The simplest would be to harden her heart.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
In the process he came under the wing of Greg Harden, a no-nonsense athletic-department counselor who advised his charges to “control the controllables” and “pay up and shut up.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
On the drama series side, Ernest Harden Jr. won for guest actor in a drama series for “The Pitt,” while Shailene Woodley won for guest actress in Season 2 of “Paradise.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 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
“Madam, Mrs. Harden says she has sent up the usual quantity.”
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Lava tubes form when the outer surface of flowing lava cools and hardens while molten rock continues moving beneath it.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Taken together, the list of woes hardens the image of a chronically broke city whose administration often struggles to reliably provide services for its almost four million people.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
His voice hardens when he speaks about the leak.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
To do it, Mars blends sugar, cocoa and other ingredients into a mixture that hardens into the candy’s solid core.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
Dad’s jaw hardens as he stands and goes into the kitchen.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
The ground was nothing but hardened mud and silt.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Papal visits are a spectacle first and foremost: a fun day out even for a hardened skeptic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Across the surrounding countryside, seepages resemble miniature volcanoes overflowing with crude and leaving hardened black trails.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
Amid statues and posters of the Virgen de Guadalupe was a rosary that a man had made of hardened bread during his months in an immigration detention facility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
When he still did not shoot, Henry’s face hardened.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
“Unless we’re going to stop building in these landscapes, and that’s unlikely ... it means we have to start building and retroactively hardening these communities,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
His remarks came after Washington and Tehran had issued demands for compensation over the five-month war, hardening their positions.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
To be sure, Russia has adapted by improving electronic warfare, hardening facilities, expanding drone production and developing new glide-bomb tactics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
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
“So,” said Mr. Diggory, his eyes hardening as he turned to look at Winky again, cowering at his feet.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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.
