hardened

[ hahr-dnd ]

adjective

1. made or become hard or harder.
2. pitiless; unfeeling.
3. firmly established or unlikely to change; inveterate:

   a hardened criminal.

4. inured; toughened:

   a hardened trooper.

5. rigid; unyielding:

   a hardened attitude.

6. (of a missile base) equipped to launch missiles from underground silos.
7. (of a missile) capable of being launched from an underground silo.

hardened

/ ˈhɑːdənd /

adjective

1. rigidly set, as in a mode of behaviour
2. toughened, as by custom; seasoned
3. (of a nuclear missile site) constructed to withstand a nuclear attack

Other Words From

• semi·hardened adjective
• un·hardened adjective
• well-hardened adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hardened¹

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; harden, -ed ²

Example Sentences

“I lived in New York for seven years, and in those seven years, the Yankees won the World Series four times. And I was miserable the whole time. That really just hardened my soul. My soul in this area is black and tarred over. I have no empathy. It’s the only place in my life where I feel really dark and evil.”

From Los Angeles Times

Soon thereafter Vi is abandoned by yet another trusted loved one, while Caitlyn is rewarded for her hardened attitude against Zaun with raucous applause and a promotion.

From Salon

The balls had a firm surface - hardened partially by accumulating sand and minerals like calcium - and a soft core.

From BBC

The calls to “stop the count!” ultimately led to the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and the doubts Trump planted in the minds of his followers have since hardened into belief: Nearly 70% of Republicans believe that Biden’s 2020 win was illegitimate.

From Los Angeles Times

But if most legal distinctions between classes in America were officially banished in 1789 — among white people, that is — considerable inequality of wealth and capital not only remained, but increased and hardened in place.

From Salon

Related Words

• coldhearted
• seasoned