harden

C2+ Topic:Cause, Change & Process

US /ˈhɑrdən/ UK /ˈhɑːdən/ See IPA manual

verb

Meanings

1

verb
to make or become firm, rigid, or unyielding

Years of hardship had hardened him against any plea for mercy.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to make or become firm,... solidify stiffen settoughenfortify steel

Opposites

soften weaken loosen melt

Word family

Derived forms hardenedhardenerhardening

Related forms hard hardness hardy

Etymology

From Middle English hardnen, from hard plus the verb-forming suffix -en, from Old English heard ('hard, firm'), from Proto-Germanic *harduz.

heard Old English *harduz Proto-Germanic *kortus Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Cause, Change & Process Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

# harden

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** ˈhɑrdən
**IPA (UK):** ˈhɑːdən

## Meanings
1. to make or become firm, rigid, or unyielding

## Examples
- Years of hardship had hardened him against any plea for mercy.

## Synonyms
- solidify
- stiffen
- set
- toughen
- fortify
- steel

## Antonyms
- soften
- weaken
- loosen
- melt

## Derived Forms
- hardened
- hardener
- hardening

## Related Forms
- hard
- hardness
- hardy

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: heard
- Root: *harduz
- Root: *kortus
- Affix: -en - to make

## Etymology
From Middle English hardnen, from hard plus the verb-forming suffix -en, from Old English heard ('hard, firm'), from Proto-Germanic *harduz.

## AI Etymology
Harden comes from Middle English hardnen, from hard plus the verb-forming suffix -en, from Old English heard ('hard, firm'), from Proto-Germanic *harduz. The etymological trail includes Old English heard, Proto-Germanic *harduz, and Proto-Indo-European *kortus. As a verb, harden means to make or become firm, rigid, or unyielding. The same family is visible in derived forms such as hardened, hardener, and hardening and related forms such as hard, hardness, and hardy. The analysis is partly morphological, with the modern form built from the elements named in the history.

## Topics
- Cause, Change & Process
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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