Harden Meaning
/ˈhɑɹdn̩/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo become hard.
verbTo make something hard or harder.
Sentence Examples
Brother men who live after us, Harden not your hearts against us.
Yanni waited for the resin to harden.
CEFR Practice Quiz
When the lava cools quickly, it will ____ into solid rock.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The liquid concrete will eventually ____ into a solid surface that can support great weight.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English hardenen, equivalent to hard + -en. Cognate with Danish hærdne (“to harden; cure”), Swedish hårdna (“to harden”), Norwegian herdne (“to harden”), Icelandic harðna (“to harden”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The Chief Medical Officer of London Transport believes that public opinion against smoking will harden to the point of a total bar on the Underground, as in other countries."
— 1959 May 26, “Accommodation for Non-Smokers”, in Railway Magazine, pages 295-296:
"In view of the system's relatively low cost, the preferred alternative could be for the military user to avail himself of multiple base stations rather than seeking to harden the base station hardware for defense applications."
— 2002, Jane's International Defense Review, volume 35:
"Ramos had locked Salah’s right arm and turned him, judo-style, as they lost balance going for the same ball. Television replays hardened the suspicion it was a calculated move on Ramos’s part and, when Salah landed with a hell of a thud, the damage was considerable."
— 2018 May 26, Daniel Taylor, “Liverpool go through after Mohamed Salah stops Manchester City fightback”, in The Guardian (London):
"He hardened as he imagined himself running his hands over her small breasts"
— 1999 August 2, Karen Mitchell, “Files from the Feminet BBS NOVAD5.TXT 38.38 KB”, in alt.sex.stories.tg (Usenet):
"Of course one needs to keep in mind the fact that *tʹ and *dʹ are hardened before *e and *i in Ukrainian and Rusyn[…]"
— 2007, Stefan Pugh, A New Historical Grammar of the East Slavic Languages:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
When the lava cools quickly, it will ____ into solid rock.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The liquid concrete will eventually ____ into a solid surface that can support great weight.