harden

Plural: hardens

Verb

Verb Forms: hardened, hardening, hardens

To make or become firm, tough, or more resistant.
become hard or harder
- "The wax hardened"
make hard or harder
- "The cold hardened the butter"
harden by reheating and cooling in oil
make fit
cause to accept or become hardened to; habituate
To become hard.
To make something hard or harder.
To strengthen.
To modify (a website or other system) to make it resistant to malicious attacks.
To become or make (a person or thing) resistant or less sensitive.
To get an erection.
To become or make (a consonant) more fortis; to (cause to) undergo fortition.
To unpalatalize or velarize.

Noun

Alternative form of hurden (“coarse linen”).

Examples

His resolve to win seemed to harden with every tile his opponent played.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English hardenen, equivalent to hard + -en. Cognate with Danish hærdne (“to harden; cure”), Swedish hårdna (“to harden”), Norwegian herdne (“to harden”), Icelandic harðna (“to harden”).

Synonyms

indurate, inure, season, temper, anneal, harden, obdurate, sclerotise, solidify, steel, stiffen

Antonyms

soften

Scrabble Score: 10

harden: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
harden: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
harden: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 10

harden: valid Words With Friends Word