hardened

[hahr-dnd] / ˈhɑr dnd /

ADJECTIVE

unfeeling

Synonyms

STRONGEST

coldhearted seasoned

STRONG

accustomed benumbed callous habituated indurated inured prepared steeled toughened unbending

WEAK

case-hardened contemptuous cruel disdainful hard as nails hard-bitten hard-boiled hardhearted heartless impenetrable impious inaccessible irreverent obdurate obtuse resistant unashamed uncaring uncompassionate unemotional unrepenting unsubmissive

Antonyms

WEAK

compassionate feeling kind nice sympathetic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“It hardened the resolve in the region and cemented the alignment within the Gulf with the U.S.”

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Demands have also hardened on the other side.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

City life has hardened her daughters and granddaughters in all the wrong ways and made them too soft in others.

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026

Over time, the mineral deposits hardened the fractured zones into ridges.

From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2026

William Wise had set up a workbench for him and had finished the tool of hardened iron.

From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli