1
as in freezes
to become physically firm or solid
the glue begins to harden as soon as it is exposed to air
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in strengthens
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure
pioneer women who had been hardened by years of living on the plains
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3
as in toughens
to increase the ability of (as a muscle) to exert physical force
arm muscles that were hardened by all the years of casting and hauling his fishing nets
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4
as in stiffens
to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe
the government hardened restrictions on travel to and from the war-torn nation
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hardens
Gulf’s stance hardens There have been strong signs that the Gulf’s collective patience has been wearing thin.
—
Holly Ellyatt,emma Graham, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
His turn into villainy is trickier, yet Gosling hardens his voice and his gaze and successfully spars with the murderer’s row of Giamatti, Clooney, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
The glue slowly hardens, giving surgeons time to position the flap.
—Jolene Edgar, Allure, 16 Mar. 2026
But there is a troubling shift that occurs when success hardens into excess and gives way to fear, a paradox that emerges all too often.
—Michael Sonnenfeldt, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2026
Lee Harvey Oswald folding under Jack Ruby’s bullet—a split second that hardens into our collective memory.
—Christopher Anderson, Vanity Fair, 27 Feb. 2026
The snow eventually hardens like a concrete entombment.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
As temperature rises, these vibrations intensify, creating a more chaotic, more resistant barrier that paradoxically hardens the metal’s surface against high-speed stress.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026
As a result, the product hardens, strengthens, and smooths brittle, peeling nails.
—Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 9 Feb. 2026
Holly Ellyatt,emma Graham, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
His turn into villainy is trickier, yet Gosling hardens his voice and his gaze and successfully spars with the murderer’s row of Giamatti, Clooney, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
The glue slowly hardens, giving surgeons time to position the flap.
—Jolene Edgar, Allure, 16 Mar. 2026
But there is a troubling shift that occurs when success hardens into excess and gives way to fear, a paradox that emerges all too often.
—Michael Sonnenfeldt, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2026
Lee Harvey Oswald folding under Jack Ruby’s bullet—a split second that hardens into our collective memory.
—Christopher Anderson, Vanity Fair, 27 Feb. 2026
The snow eventually hardens like a concrete entombment.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
As temperature rises, these vibrations intensify, creating a more chaotic, more resistant barrier that paradoxically hardens the metal’s surface against high-speed stress.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026
As a result, the product hardens, strengthens, and smooths brittle, peeling nails.
—Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardens
Verb
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Any decision that freezes rents will be inseparable from Mamdani’s political agenda and will give rise to the obvious appearance of bias and undue influence.—
Christian Browne,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
My eyes are back on Lopez, who freezes in the oak.—
Calin Van Paris,
Outside,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Medical organizations like the American Dental Association criticized the move in certain states to ban the mineral, which helps prevent cavities and strengthens teeth.—
Sara Moniuszko,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
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The cloud ahead of price is bullish (span A above span B) and often thickens as the trend strengthens.—
Karl Montevirgen,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Moving the kink to one end makes that side soft and the opposite end stiff; placing it at the center softens the middle and stiffens both edges.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Mar. 2026
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What began as breathlessness hardened into silicosis, an irreversible disease that stiffens the lungs until even ordinary movement becomes effort.—
Dr. Céline Gounder,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hardens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardens. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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