hardened
Americanadjective
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made or become hard or harder.
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pitiless; unfeeling.
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firmly established or unlikely to change; inveterate.
a hardened criminal.
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inured; toughened.
a hardened trooper.
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rigid; unyielding.
a hardened attitude.
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(of a missile base) equipped to launch missiles from underground silos.
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(of a missile) capable of being launched from an underground silo.
adjective
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rigidly set, as in a mode of behaviour
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toughened, as by custom; seasoned
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(of a nuclear missile site) constructed to withstand a nuclear attack
Other Word Forms
- semihardened adjective
- unhardened adjective
- well-hardened adjective
Etymology
Origin of hardened
Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at harden, -ed 2
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.
Speaking on Radio Wales Breakfast, Carnall said "a few hardened campers" have carried on with their plans but it is "very lucky... we're able to take touring vans and motorhomes as well".
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026
“It hardened the resolve in the region and cemented the alignment within the Gulf with the U.S.”
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
We have hardened our infrastructure and built an oil pipeline to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
“They’ve been hardened, apparently, by this war, and they don’t show any signs of yielding.”
From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026
Bare, beaten floor of baked mud, hardened with dung-wash.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
