hardened

American  

[hahr-dnd] / ˈhɑr dnd /

adjective

1. made or become hard or harder.

2. pitiless; unfeeling.

3. firmly established or unlikely to change; inveterate.

   a hardened criminal.

4. inured; toughened.

   a hardened trooper.

5. rigid; unyielding.

   a hardened attitude.

6. (of a missile base) equipped to launch missiles from underground silos.

7. (of a missile) capable of being launched from an underground silo.

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hardened British  

/ ˈhɑːdənd /

adjective

1. rigidly set, as in a mode of behaviour

2. toughened, as by custom; seasoned

3. (of a nuclear missile site) constructed to withstand a nuclear attack

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Other Word Forms

• semihardened adjective
• unhardened adjective
• well-hardened adjective

Etymology

Origin of hardened

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; harden, -ed ²

Example Sentences

Inside the hardened plaque, they found microscopic remains of cereals, legumes, plant fibers, and yeast spores.

From Science Daily

Anna shook more soil off the potatoes and her face hardened again.

From Literature

I tried to speak, but my tongue felt heavy inside my mouth, like it had swelled and hardened.

From Literature

At times, his position appears to have hardened against Russia.

From BBC

He said the rank and file had been hardened “in the fight against corruption” and praised them as “entirely trustworthy.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• seasoned