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:
Romania, which had a robust Russia-sympathetic electorate in the years immediately following Russia’s invasion, has seen popular sentiment harden against Moscow following a series of drone incursions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 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
Instead, they point to efforts to identify and fix known security flaws and harden computer networks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Already, the excess heat in the tank has caused the MMA to harden and clog the failing tank’s valves, rendering it impossible for crews to drain the dangerous chemical or add stabilizing agents, Freeman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026
I knew it would take a while for the gum to harden, but it appeared to have sealed up the hole.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
Guest actor in a drama series Ernest Harden Jr., “The Pitt”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Of course, it’s unclear what that coda would look like, and if it involves spending a lot of time watching James Harden dribble in circles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
He and Harden were two of their top three scorers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
When they reached Newchurch Road at 23:58 there was an interaction with Harden.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
“Madam, Mrs. Harden says she has sent up the usual quantity.”
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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
The UK "hardens stance on Israel" is how the Guardian frames the expected announcement on Tuesday.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Lava flowing from a volcano eventually cools and hardens into rock, while water in a lake can freeze into ice during a cold winter.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 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
Uncle Ty’s jaw hardens as some Guardians snicker.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Some of these cores at the Northern Territory Geological Survey are mudstone – a type of sedimentary rock formed from hardened seafloor mud.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026
Across the surrounding countryside, seepages resemble miniature volcanoes overflowing with crude and leaving hardened black trails.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
As a physically smaller woman, she said she found tackling some of them "intimidating", but had become more hardened to it through experience.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
The Baltics have also hardened themselves against certain types of assaults, she said, like a major 2007 Russian cyberattack on Estonia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
But Sarah still has the magical melting effect on hardened adults.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
She is almost painfully careful not to ascribe blame to the growing presence in Germany of Muslim immigrants, among whom there has been a hardening of anti-Zionist public pronouncements since Oct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 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
Even though home hardening efforts can help protect structures, some of California’s building practices are hurting those efforts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
"Iran's work there has likely centred around continued internal excavation and hardening of the facility that would provide further protection against aerial attacks."
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
They were caught up in accelerated courses and first-aid programs and a physical hardening regimen, which included jumping from this tree.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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.
