hardening

[ hahr-dn-ing ]

/ ˈhɑr dn ɪŋ /

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noun

a material that hardens another, as an alloy added to iron to make steel.

the process of becoming hard or rigid.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of hardening

First recorded in 1620–30; harden + -ing¹

Words nearby hardening

Hardenberg, hardenbergia, Hardenburg, hardened, hardener, hardening, hardening of the arteries, harden off, harden one's heart, harden up, hard-faced

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hardening in a sentence

After the 2018 shooting at Sante Fe High School, Texas allocated $100 million for schools to use on hardening measures, including metal detectors, bullet-resistant glass, and campus-wide active shooter alarm systems.
Schools Are Spending Billions on Safety Measures to Stop Mass Shootings. It's Not Clear They Work|Katie Reilly|June 15, 2022|Time
It is also a question of hardening mindsets, as China cuts itself off from the rest of the world and runs a risk of becoming a second “hermit kingdom” similar to North Korea.
We Must Learn From the Failed Global Response to COVID-19|Kevin Rudd|December 29, 2021|Time
A hardening study commissioned in 2007 showed Entergy that it needed to support coastal transmission lines with concrete and steel poles, rather than wood poles, the company said.
Louisiana power outages renew questions about utility giant’s preparedness for storms|Douglas MacMillan, Beth Reinhard|August 31, 2021|Washington Post
As the new crust hardens, its iron-bearing minerals align with the current orientation of Earth’s magnetic field, and the hardening rocks become a new stripe in the pattern.
A WWII submarine-hunting device helped prove the theory of plate tectonics|Carolyn Gramling|July 2, 2021|Science News

The quicker the finished product gets into the hardening cabinet, the smaller the ice crystals.
The Secret to This Ice Cream: Pampered Cows|Jane & Michael Stern|May 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The drug halts the development of atherosclerosis, a word referring to the hardening of the arteries.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins Come Closer to Eliminating Heart Disease|Dale Eisinger|April 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The force of the two reacting spreads the foam through the chest cavity, hardening to apply pressure to any bleed sites.
New 'Suspended Animation' Procedure Saves Lives by Replacing Blood with a Cold Electrolyte Solution|Elizabeth Lopatto|April 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The hardening of an idea into a plan for a novel is a vague process and hard to describe.
How I Write: Diane Johnson|Noah Charney|January 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was found at autopsy to have severe hardening of his coronary arteries.
Maybe You Shouldn't Run a Marathon|Kent Sepkowitz|November 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She saw the tightening of his lips, the hardening of his eyes, beyond which he gave no other sign that she had hit him.
Mistress Wilding|Rafael Sabatini
There was in it the indefinable hardening and ageing which seemed to Boyson to have affected the whole personality.
Marriage la mode|Mrs. Humphry Ward
She talked nearly all the way over, sobbing at times, and then hardening herself with scolding.
A Yankee from the West|Opie Read
She stepped back with her mouth hardening and the gleam still in her eyes.
Colonial Born|G. Firth Scott
“Have my share of that money,” said Katrine, with a peculiar hardening of her face.
The Dark House|Georg Manville Fenn

British Dictionary definitions for hardening

hardening

/ (ˈhɑːdənɪŋ) /

noun

the act or process of becoming or making hard

a substance added to another substance or material to make it harder

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

hardening

Origin of hardening

Words nearby hardening

Words related to hardening

How to use hardening in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hardening