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.
"I'm a hardened scientist, but it's even warmed the cockles of my heart," McCormack said.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
But its army has maintained a core of hardened soldiers who have continued to fight throughout the war, surprising even Ukraine’s foreign critics with their tenacity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Aspects of the TV drama structurally resemble some American crime shows in that its main constant has been Robson Green’s hardened Detective Inspector Geordie Keating.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026
Sticking to largely sycophantic media who lobbed softball questions hardened his ceiling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
Lilya took these losses hard, and her flying and fighting hardened, along with her personality.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
