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
- semihardened adjective
- unhardened adjective
- well-hardened adjective
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.
Many Iranians, initially welcoming the war, now fear the regime will emerge hardened or that strikes could cause Iran to become a failed state.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
But parts of northern Thailand are seeing haze that even hardened locals say is exceptional.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
In mitigation, David Mason KC said the "hardened criminal" had "completely gone off the rails and got himself in a terrible, terrible situation".
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
“They’ve been hardened, apparently, by this war, and they don’t show any signs of yielding.”
From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026
Suddenly his voice hardened as he shot a question at Fangburn: “You! How did your face get knocked about, and where did you get those long scratches from?”
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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.
