honed

American  

[hohnd] / hoʊnd /

adjective

1. sharpened on a hone or whetstone.

   Our julienne peeler has 12 honed blades for superfine cuts that will make your julienne vegetables look like a restaurant’s.

2. made more acute or effective; improved or perfected.

   We finish our degrees with highly desirable, finely honed skills, including how to research, how to work hard, and how to think critically.

3. (of a hole) enlarged with a hone.

   When it comes to the barrel of this rifle, the diameter uniformity and roundness of the honed bore are superb.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of hone.

Etymology

Origin of honed

hone ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Attention has honed in on software companies, which have received more loans from private-market lenders than any other sector, because developments in artificial intelligence are seen to threaten the models of these businesses.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026

While print itself was solid, investors honed in on upbeat commentary from CEO Lip-Bu Tan, which indicated demand for central processing units remained strong, and would only increase.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

By 2000 we had fielded the first generation of precision standoff weapons and further honed our missile defenses, electronic attack, and penetrating stealth capability.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

The tips and tricks I use to avoid being taken in by sloppy A.I.-generated content are the same that have always existed for combating disinformation, and were honed mainly during my humanities degree.

From Slate • Mar. 28, 2026

Vivaldi’s Italian innovations, honed to sensuous perfection in the carnival city of Venice, travelled north across the Alps and found a fan in Lutheran north-east Germany: Johann Sebastian Bach.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• cogent
• concise
• laconic
• succinct
• terse
• trenchant