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
Derived 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.
AI enables traditional cyberattacks to be carried out at greater scale and speed, and networks need to be hardened to address the threat.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
But the conflict hardened political and diplomatic estrangement, leaving little space even for limited normalisation.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
But that dinner, more than anything else, adds a hardened glaze of insult to Megan’s allegation that Thompson cheated on her.
From Salon • Apr. 30, 2026
But parts of northern Thailand are seeing haze that even hardened locals say is exceptional.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
A hardened face loomed over me, beard like a bear’s pelt.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
