hardened
Americanadjective
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made or become hard or harder.
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pitiless; unfeeling.
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firmly established or unlikely to change; inveterate.
a hardened criminal.
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inured; toughened.
a hardened trooper.
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rigid; unyielding.
a hardened attitude.
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(of a missile base) equipped to launch missiles from underground silos.
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(of a missile) capable of being launched from an underground silo.
adjective
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rigidly set, as in a mode of behaviour
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toughened, as by custom; seasoned
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(of a nuclear missile site) constructed to withstand a nuclear attack
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hardened
Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at harden, -ed 2
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.
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
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
Even the most hardened boxing fan could have been forgiven for switching off.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
They made circles, and curlicues, and squiggledy things, and these hardened at once and were candy.
From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
