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harden

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
hard·en  (härdn)
v. hard·ened, hard·en·ing, hard·ens
v.tr.
1. To make hard or harder.
2. To enable to withstand physical or mental hardship.
3. To make unfeeling, unsympathetic, or callous: "To love love and not its meaning hardens the heart in monstrous ways" (Archibald MacLeish).
4. To make sharp, as in outline.
5. To protect (nuclear weapons) by surrounding with earth or concrete.
v.intr.
1. To become hard or harder.
2. To rise and become stable. Used of prices.
3. To become inured.
Synonyms: harden, acclimate, acclimatize, season, toughen
These verbs mean to make resistant to hardship, especially through continued exposure: was hardened to frontier life; is acclimated to the tropical heat; was acclimatized by long hours to overwork; became seasoned to life in prison; toughened by experience.

harden1
vb
1. to make or become hard or harder; freeze, stiffen, or set
2. to make or become more hardy, tough, or unfeeling
3. to make or become stronger or firmer they hardened defences
4. to make or become more resolute or set hardened in his resolve
5. (Business / Commerce) (intr) Commerce
a.  (of prices, a market, etc.) to cease to fluctuate
b.  (of price) to rise higher See also harden off, harden up

harden2
n
(Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Textiles) a rough fabric made from hards
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb1.harden - become hard or harder; "The wax hardened"
change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night"
encrust, incrust - form a crust or a hard layer
callus - form a callus or calluses; "His foot callused"
harden, indurate - make hard or harder; "The cold hardened the butter"
calcify - become impregnated with calcium salts
cure - make (substances) hard and improve their usability; "cure resin"; "cure cement"; "cure soap"
soften - become soft or softer; "The bread will soften if you pour some liquid on it"
2.harden - make hard or harder; "The cold hardened the butter"
change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night"
face-harden - harden steel by adding carbon
callus - cause a callus to form on; "The long march had callused his feet"
anneal, temper, normalize - bring to a desired consistency, texture, or hardness by a process of gradually heating and cooling; "temper glass"
harden, indurate - become hard or harder; "The wax hardened"
soften - make soft or softer; "This liquid will soften your laundry"
3.harden - harden by reheating and cooling in oil; "temper steel"
modify - make less severe or harsh or extreme; "please modify this letter to make it more polite"; "he modified his views on same-gender marriage"
4.harden - make fit; "This trip will season even the hardiest traveller"
toughen - make tough or tougher; "This experience will toughen her"
5.harden - cause to accept or become hardened to; habituate; "He was inured to the cold"
callous, cauterise, cauterize - make insensitive or callous; deaden feelings or morals
brace oneself for, prepare for, steel oneself against, steel onself for - prepare mentally or emotionally for something unpleasant
accustom, habituate - make psychologically or physically used (to something); "She became habituated to the background music"

harden
verb
1. solidify, set, freeze, cake, bake, clot, thicken, stiffen, crystallize, congeal, coagulate, anneal Mould the mixture into shape before it hardens.
2. accustom, season, toughen, train, brutalize, inure, habituate, case-harden hardened by the rigours of the Siberian steppes
3. reinforce, strengthen, fortify, steel, nerve, brace, toughen, buttress, gird, indurate Their action can only serve to harden the attitude of landowners.
Translations
harden [ˈhɑːdn]
A. VT
1. (= make hard) [+ substance] → endurecer; [+ steel] → templar; [+ skin] → curtir, endurecer
2. (= make tough, harsh) → endurecer
the experience had hardened herla experiencia la había endurecido
to harden sb to adversityacostumbrar a algn a hacerse fuerte ante la adversidad
to harden one's heart years of putting up with his violent outbursts had hardened her heartdespués de años de sufrir sus arranques de violencia se le había endurecido el corazón
she hardened her heart and refused to have him backhizo de tripas corazón or se hizo fuerte y se negó a aceptarlo de nuevo
3. (= make determined) these experiences hardened her resolveestas experiencias la afianzaron en su propósito
the workers' behaviour only served to harden the attitude of the managersel comportamiento de los obreros sólo contribuyó a reforzar la actitud de la dirección
4. (Comm) (= stabilize) → estabilizar, consolidar
B. VI
1. (= become hard) [clay, arteries, icing] → endurecerse; [cement] → fraguar
2. (= become harsh, severe) [person, expression, eyes] → endurecerse
his voice hardenedel tono de su voz se endurecióadoptó un tono más áspero
my heart hardened against hermi corazón se volvió contra ella
what happened only caused him to harden in his determination to continuelo que sucedió sólo le afianzó más en su propósito de seguir
3. (Comm) (= stabilize) [prices, economy] → estabilizarse, consolidarse
harden [ˈhɑːrdən]
vt
[+ substance] → durcir; [+ steel] → tremper
(= make tougher) [+ person] → endurcir; [+ attitude, position, resolve] → consolider; [+ position, stance] → durcir
to harden one's heart → s'endurcir
vi
[substance] → durcir
[attitude, position, resolve] → se durcir; [face, expression] → se durcir
harden
vt steelhärten; body, muscleskräftigen, stählen (geh); person (physically) → abhärten; (emotionally) → verhärten (pej), → abstumpfen (pej); clayhart werden lassen; this hardened his attitudedadurch hat sich seine Haltung verhärtet; to harden oneself to something (physically) → sich gegen etw abhärten; (emotionally) → gegen etw unempfindlich werden; war had hardened the soldiers to death and killingder Krieg hatte die Soldaten gegen den Tod und das Töten abgestumpft; to harden one’s heart against somebodysein Herz gegen jdn verhärten (geh) ? hardened
vi (substance)hart werden; (fig, attitude) → sich verhärten; (St Ex: = cease to fluctuate) → sich festigen, sich stabilisieren; (= rise)anziehen; his voice hardenedseine Stimme wurde hart or bekam einen harten Klang; his eyes/face hardenedseine Augen bekamen/sein Gesicht bekam einen harten Ausdruck
harden [ˈhɑːdn]
1. vt (gen) → indurire; (steel) → temprare (fig) (determination) → rafforzare
to harden one's heart → non lasciarsi commuovere
2. vi (substance) → indurirsi

harden [ˈhɑːdn]
1. vt (gen) → indurire; (steel) → temprare (fig) (determination) → rafforzare
to harden one's heart → non lasciarsi commuovere
2. vi (substance) → indurirsi


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I might perhaps harden myself in time against the injustice of general reproach, but the loss of HIS valued esteem I am, as you well know, ill-fitted to endure; and when to this may be added the consciousness of having injured you with your family, how am I to support myself?
All on a sudden some night it will come wailing in the wind outside your window, and you must blacken your heart and harden your face with another strangling grip of its slim appealing throat, another blow upon its angel eyes.
And thus did it happen--for everything must I tell you, that your heart may not harden against the suddenly departing one!
 
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