as in hardening
to make stronger (as through hardship)
She was annealed by the tragedies of her childhood.
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Recent Examples of annealing
The system will form the backbone of a long-term partnership between FAU and D-Wave, which provides both annealing and gate-model quantum computing platforms.
—
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Engineers sparingly tried annealing hardware space, so Juno's experience could be instructive for future missions.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
Workable quantum solutions that make use of annealing systems are now in use.
—Chuck Brooks, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
After annealing, the links are strong covalent bonds [below].
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Aug. 2024
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Engineers sparingly tried annealing hardware space, so Juno's experience could be instructive for future missions.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
Workable quantum solutions that make use of annealing systems are now in use.
—Chuck Brooks, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
After annealing, the links are strong covalent bonds [below].
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annealing
Verb
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Iran and the United States appeared at an impasse Thursday, with each side hardening its position over talks and setting the stage for another potential escalation in the Middle East war.—
David Rising,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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Saline rinses at the first sign of congestion can prevent mouth breathing from hardening into habit.—
Allison Palmer,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The program delivers on the government’s Plan for Change, supporting economic growth through defense investment while strengthening national security.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Apr. 2026
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That includes strengthening its internal culture, refining legal strategy, and maintaining clear standards around results and professional integrity.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Larkin found that Muslim viewers in Kano reinterpreted Bollywood films through an Islamic moral lens, reading their narratives as reinforcing local values of propriety and ethical conduct.—
Gareth Barkin,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2026
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The video includes scenes from across the actress’s career as well as glimpses of her personal life, reinforcing her status as one of Hollywood’s most recognizable figures.—
Claire Dodds,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Analysts noted similar activity occurred before last year’s Operation Midnight Hammer strikes, suggesting a pattern of fortifying critical facilities in anticipation of attacks.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Mar. 2026
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Elevating their expertise and fortifying their decades-long involvement in the process of independent evaluation and guidance is critical to restore public trust in federal policymaking.—
Jerome Adams,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Annealing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annealing. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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