hardened

[ hahr-dnd ]

/ ˈhɑr dnd /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for hardened on Thesaurus.com

adjective

made or become hard or harder.

pitiless; unfeeling.

firmly established or unlikely to change; inveterate: a hardened criminal.

inured; toughened: a hardened trooper.

rigid; unyielding: a hardened attitude.

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

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

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of hardened

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at harden, -ed²

OTHER WORDS FROM hardened

sem·i·hard·ened, adjectiveun·hard·ened, adjectivewell-hardened, adjective

Words nearby hardened

hard-edged, harden, Hardenberg, hardenbergia, Hardenburg, hardened, hardener, hardening, hardening of arteries, hardening of the arteries, harden off

How to use hardened in a sentence

I’m also alarmed by the hardened edge to China’s new superpower status.
China’s path to modernization has, for centuries, gone through my hometown|Yangyang Cheng|June 30, 2021|MIT Technology Review
You can pretend not to care about the Oscars, but even the most hardened souls secretly thrill to their glamour.
The Vibe Will Be Different at This Year’s Oscars—and That’s a Good Thing|Stephanie Zacharek|April 21, 2021|Time
He is tempting even the most hardened cynics to violate their rules against being impressed this time of year.
Is it time to believe in Shohei Ohtani and the Angels?|Chelsea Janes|March 19, 2021|Washington Post
They’re sitting on data that is increasingly seen as crucial to advertising in light of Google’s hardened stance on user-level tracking.
‘Our place in the value chain could be diminished’: Confessions of a publisher exec on the future of user-level identifiers|Seb Joseph|March 16, 2021|Digiday

Many of them are convicted drug dealers and other hardened criminals.
An American Marine in Iran’s Prisons Goes on Hunger Strike|IranWire|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The cells are austere—essentially hardened trailers—that cost about $40,000 each to build.
9/11 Mastermind Is Afraid of the Ladies|Tim Mak|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A generation of Syrian kids have the far-away gazes of battle-hardened soldiers returning from war.
The Young Girls Escaping the ISIS War|Chandra Kellison|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She reportedly told them, “Sophie Lyons is a hardened criminal, and too smart to be caught like this.”
Meet 'The Queen of Thieves' Marm Mandelbaum, New York City's First Mob Boss|J. North Conway|September 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A comedy titan who was always the center of attention, amusing even the most hardened of cynics with his manic energy.
Robin Williams, Hollywood’s Grand Jester, Is Dead at 63|Marlow Stern|August 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even Haggard, case-hardened as he was, didn't light his cigar for full twenty minutes.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Why hast thou made us to err, O Lord, from thy ways: why hast thou hardened our heart, that we should not fear thee?
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
And they have not hearkened to me: nor inclined their ear: but have hardened their neck, and have done worse than their fathers.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
A hardened dealer once went near a large meeting of men with a wagon load of bottles containing cold tea.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
The hardened devils of Anzacs, who had taken cover betwixt the shell-proofs built of piles of stores, roared with laughter.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton

British Dictionary definitions for hardened

hardened

/ (ˈhɑːdənd) /

adjective

rigidly set, as in a mode of behaviour

toughened, as by custom; seasoned

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

hardened

Origin of hardened

OTHER WORDS FROM hardened

Words nearby hardened

Words related to hardened

How to use hardened in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hardened