tough·en

(tŭf′ən)

tr. & intr.v. tough·ened, tough·en·ing, tough·ens

To make or become tough. See Synonyms at harden.

tough′en·er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.	1.	toughened - physically toughened; "the tough bottoms of his feet" tough rugged - sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring; "with a house full of boys you have to have rugged furniture" experienced, experient - having experience; having knowledge or skill from observation or participation strong - having strength or power greater than average or expected; "a strong radio signal"; "strong medicine"; "a strong man"
	2.	toughened - made hard or flexible or resilient especially by heat treatment; "a sword of tempered steel"; "tempered glass" tempered, hardened, treated

Translations

toughened

[ˈtʌfnd] ADJ [material] → endurecido

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Some strength came to him finally from the mere struggle, undirected and misdirected as it often was, and such mental fibre as he had was toughened by the prolonged stress.

View in context

From the higher sides of the cog the bowmen could shoot straight down, at a range which was so short as to enable a cloth-yard shaft to pierce through mail-coats or to transfix a shield, though it were an inch thick of toughened wood.

View in context

At length, the toughened sinews of the white man prevailed over the less practiced limbs of the native.

View in context

These were all absolutely gas tight and filled with hydrogen, and the entire aerostat was kept at any level by means of a long internal balloonette of oiled and toughened silk canvas, into which air could be forced and from which it could be pumped.

View in context

"Now leave the Pawnee to be the pilot," said the trapper; "my hand is not so steady as it used to be; but he has limbs like toughened hickory.

View in context

It was Watson who took the telephone as Bell had made it, really a toy, with its diaphragm so delicate that a warm breath would put it out of order, and toughened it into a more rugged machine.

View in context

Police toughened persecution of Solton-Sary gold mine development prosters, MP Janar Akaev said in Parliament today.

Police toughened persecution of Solton-Sary gold mine protesters -- MP

The family-run business, which has been operating from purpose-built offices in Gateshead for more than 30 years and currently employs 55 staff, purchased a new glass-toughening machine capable of increasing production of toughened glass by around 40%.

Glass firm strengthened

Law bid Emma Harper wants law on sheep worrying to be toughened

Bid to toughen laws on livestock attacks

For this reason, the epoxy resins need to be toughened for various applications.

Improvement of Fracture Toughness and Glass Transition Temperature of DGEBA-Based Epoxy Systems Using Toughening and Crosslinking Modifiers

Fishing trawlers active close to the Chinese coast also might need more attention, with checks at the harbors of Kinmen, Kaohsiung and Keelung to be toughened up, CNA reported.

Amid swine fever fears, Taiwan to crack down on meat smuggling from China