hardened

American  

[hahr-dnd] / ˈhɑr dnd /

adjective

1. made or become hard or harder.

2. pitiless; unfeeling.

3. firmly established or unlikely to change; inveterate.

   a hardened criminal.

4. inured; toughened.

   a hardened trooper.

5. rigid; unyielding.

   a hardened attitude.

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

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

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hardened British  

/ ˈhɑːdənd /

adjective

1. rigidly set, as in a mode of behaviour

2. toughened, as by custom; seasoned

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

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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

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

City life has hardened her daughters and granddaughters in all the wrong ways and made them too soft in others.

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026

The others watched, with breaking hearts or hardened ones, and when he stood and stepped back and turned to Minya, he felt like Sathaz in the pool, waiting for the moon.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Related Words

• seasoned