hardening

verb

Definition of hardeningnext
present participle of harden
1
as in freezing
to become physically firm or solid the glue begins to harden as soon as it is exposed to air

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2
as in strengthening
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 toughening
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 stiffening
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hardening Allen says homeowners who spend money hardening their properties, including making homes more resistant to wildfires, should receive meaningful benefits from insurers for lowering their risk. — Kenny Choi, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 Governments around the world are hardening their AI stances as more agentic hacks breach critical systems. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026 Nearly all Senate Democrats voted to require the State Department to report on Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, in a continuing sign of the party’s hardening stance toward Israel. — Noah Robertson, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026 The specifications hardening around agents are careful about this line. — Dr. Aditya Vikram Kashyap, Forbes.com, 22 Sep. 2026 September is near the end of the season, so avoid high-nitrogen doses, which can interfere with tuber hardening and storage. — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Sep. 2026 Hope for finding survivors is fading as rescuers race against time and quickly hardening mud. — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026 Scouring Pads Cleaning spills as soon as possible after cooking can keep them from hardening into a stain that feels impossible to remove. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2026 OpenAI halted some of its AI model training and is hardening its testing, monitoring and training protocols following the incident. — Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardening
  1. freezing
  2. strengthening
  3. stiffening
Verb
  • Use the free monitoring being offered and consider freezing your credit.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The curbs include freezing any assets the officials might have in China; denial of visas and entry into China; prohibiting any Chinese individuals and organizations from cooperating with them.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of freezing
Verb
  • The Bills are also coming off a Monday night overtime game, strengthening the home underdog’s case.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Florida is living proof that protecting the preborn and strengthening families is both possible and popular.
    — Kimberly Bird, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of strengthening
Verb
  • Proposition 132 attempts to address these concerns by stiffening legal penalties.
    — Joshua Barocas, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026
  • But one of the positives Glenn highlighted was the defense stiffening in the red zone against Chicago, which went 2 of 7 inside the New York 20-yard line.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of stiffening

Browse Nearby Words

hardened
hardening
hardens
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Cite this Entry

“Hardening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardening. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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