harden: Meaning and Definition of
hard•en
Pronunciation: (här'dn), [key]
— v.t.
- to make hard or harder: to harden steel.
- to make pitiless or unfeeling: to harden one's heart.
- to make rigid or unyielding; stiffen: The rigors of poverty hardened his personality.
- to strengthen or confirm, esp. with reference to character, intentions, feelings, etc.; reinforce.
- to make hardy, robust, or capable of endurance; toughen.
- to reinforce the structure of (a military or strategic installation) to protect it from nuclear bombardment.
—v.i.
- to become hard or harder.
- to become pitiless or unfeeling.
- to become rigid or unyielding; stiffen: His personality hardened over the years.
- to become confirmed or strengthened: His resistance hardened.
- to become inured or toughened: The troops hardened under constant fire.
- (of a market, prices, etc.) When the speculators withdrew from the market, the prices hardened.
- to cease to fluctuate; firm:When the speculators withdrew from the market, the prices hardened.
- to rise higher.
Har•den
Pronunciation: (här'dn), [key]
— n.
- 1865–1940, English biochemist: Nobel prize 1929.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.