hard·en·ing

[hahr-dn-ing]
noun
1.
a material that hardens another, as an alloy added to iron to make steel.
2.
the process of becoming hard or rigid.
Origin:
1620–30; harden + -ing1

Dictionary.com Unabridged

hard·en

[hahr-dn]
verb (used with object)
1.
to make hard or harder: to harden steel.
2.
to make pitiless or unfeeling: to harden one's heart.
3.
to make rigid or unyielding; stiffen: The rigors of poverty hardened his personality.
4.
to strengthen or confirm, especially with reference to character, intentions, feelings, etc.; reinforce.
5.
to make hardy, robust, or capable of endurance; toughen.
6.
Military. to reinforce the structure of (a military or strategic installation) to protect it from nuclear bombardment.
verb (used without object)
7.
to become hard or harder.
8.
to become pitiless or unfeeling.
9.
to become rigid or unyielding; stiffen: His personality hardened over the years.
10.
to become confirmed or strengthened: His resistance hardened.
11.
to become inured or toughened: The troops hardened under constant fire.
12.
Commerce.
a.
to cease to fluctuate; firm: When the speculators withdrew from the market, the prices hardened.
b.
to rise higher.
Origin:
1150–1200; Middle English; see hard, -en1

Related forms
hard·en·a·ble, adjective
hard·en·a·bil·i·ty, noun
o·ver·hard·en, verb
pre·hard·en, verb (used with object)
re·hard·en, verb
un·hard·en, verb (used with object)
un·hard·en·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms
1. solidify, indurate; petrify, ossify. 4. fortify, steel, brace, nerve.

Antonyms
1. soften. 4. weaken.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To hardening
00:10
Hardening is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
harden1 (ˈhɑːdən) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—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.  (intr) commerce
 a.  (of prices, a market, etc) to cease to fluctuate
 b.  (of price) to rise higher

harden2 (ˈhɑːdən) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
a rough fabric made from hards

hardening (ˈhɑːdənɪŋ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  the act or process of becoming or making hard
2.  a substance added to another substance or material to make it harder

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Example sentences
The major signs of scleroderma are hardening and thickening of the skin in any
  areas on the fingers and toes.
What kills more human beings than anything is hardening of the arteries.
And there it will stay, hardening into a cast of the pulmonary circulation.
It causes lots of scar formation in the arteries, hardening them.
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