hardened
hardened — adjective
1. No longer shocked or upset by extreme violence, gore, blood, injury, or death, b
No longer shocked or upset by extreme violence, gore, blood, injury, or death, because you have witnessed such things many times and your emotional threshold has been raised beyond what most people can tolerate.
After years as an emergency room nurse, Elena had grown hardened to the sight of serious injuries.
hardened to + noun phrase describing disturbing thing
War reporters often become hardened to the violence they witness every day in conflict zones.
The charity volunteer was not hardened enough for the extreme poverty she discovered in the camp.
The hardened detective studied the blood-spattered room without any change in his expression.
- desensitized
More clinical or psychological; 'desensitized' implies a deliberate or gradual process, while 'hardened' carries a sense of toughness developed through experience.
- numb
More temporary and passive; 'numb' suggests a loss of feeling, while 'hardened' implies continued functionality despite the lack of emotional reaction.
- callous
More negative; 'callous' implies cruelty or lack of caring, whereas 'hardened' can be neutral or even admirable in certain roles.
- tender-hearted
Describes someone who is easily moved by others' suffering.
- sensitive
Describes someone who feels emotions strongly in response to events.
文法句型
hardened to + noun phrase
用法筆記
Frequently describes professionals who regularly witness extreme violence, gore, injury, or death (detectives, soldiers, ER doctors, paramedics). The pattern 'hardened to + noun' names the traumatic stimulus — typically something violent or gruesome like 'gore', 'death', 'blood', or 'violence'. Also common attributively before a profession noun.
常見錯誤
2. So deeply involved in a bad lifestyle or illegal activity that the person is no
So deeply involved in a bad lifestyle or illegal activity that the person is no longer willing or able to change or feel sorry for what they do.
The judge sentenced the hardened criminal to twenty years with no chance of early release.
attributive: hardened + criminal
Even hardened thieves sometimes decide to change their ways when they have a family.
A hardened gambler rarely admits that betting has taken control of his life.
The prison was designed for the most hardened offenders who had committed violent crimes.
- incorrigible
More formal; 'incorrigible' emphasizes the impossibility of reform, while 'hardened' emphasizes the depth of the habit.
- inveterate
More formal and literary; 'inveterate' suggests a habit of long standing, often used with 'liar', 'gambler', 'smoker'.
- confirmed
Slightly milder; 'confirmed bachelor' or 'confirmed smoker' suggests a settled habit without the same moral judgment.
- reformable
Describes someone who can still change their ways.
- repentant
Describes someone who feels remorse and wants to improve.
文法句型
hardened + noun (hardened criminal, hardened gambler)
用法筆記
Almost always used attributively before a noun naming a type of wrongdoer (criminal, offender, gambler, drug user, cynic). Not used predicatively — you would not say 'he is hardened' to mean he is a hardened criminal.
常見錯誤
3. So accustomed to sadness, disappointment, rejection, or loss that you are able t
So accustomed to sadness, disappointment, rejection, or loss that you are able to keep functioning in your daily life despite the emotional pain — you still feel sad, but the feeling no longer stops you from carrying on.
Though hardened to the sadness, the hospice nurse still held each patient's hand with warmth.
hardened to + noun expressing emotion
Klaus had become hardened to the disappointment of cancelled flights after years of business trips.
Every time a tenant moved out without notice, the landlord grew hardened to the disappointment.
Kamal was hardened to rejection after sending out two hundred job applications without a single offer.
- inured
More formal; 'inured' specifically means accustomed to something unpleasant through prolonged exposure.
- accustomed
More neutral; 'accustomed' can refer to any repeated experience, while 'hardened' implies the experience was difficult to bear.
- conditioned
Suggests a trained or automatic response; 'conditioned' is slightly more mechanical than 'hardened'.
- unaccustomed
Describes someone who has not yet adapted to a difficult situation.
- raw
Describes someone who is still vulnerable and easily affected by painful events.
文法句型
hardened to + noun phrase (disappointment, loss, bad news)
用法筆記
This sense is about sadness, disappointment, rejection, and loss — NOT about traumatic or violent stimuli (see sense 1, TRAUMA-HARDENED). The distinctive feature is CONTINUED FUNCTION: the person still feels the sadness but is not stopped by it — they keep working, caring for others, applying for jobs. Common triggers include bad news, cancelled plans, rejection letters, heartbreak, and the death of someone close. The pattern 'hardened to + noun' names the emotional pain.
常見錯誤
hardened — verb
1. When a substance turns stiff, firm, or solid, or when you cause it to do so — fo
When a substance turns stiff, firm, or solid, or when you cause it to do so — for example, melted metal cooling into rock, cement setting, or clay drying in the sun.
The lava hardened into black rock as it reached the cold ocean water.
intransitive: harden into [form]
Leave the concrete to harden for at least a day before you walk on the new path.
The sun hardened the clay pots that Hana had shaped with her hands.
Honey will harden if you keep it in the refrigerator for more than a week.
The glue hardened overnight and held the broken chair leg firmly in place.
- solidify
More precise; 'solidify' often implies changing from liquid to solid, while 'harden' can describe any increase in firmness.
- stiffen
Describes becoming rigid or less flexible, often of fabrics, paper, or body parts.
- set
Specifically used for cement, glue, jelly, and similar substances that change from a soft to a firm state.
文法句型
something hardens (intransitive)
harden something (transitive)
用法筆記
This is the only sense that describes a purely physical, material change. Usually intransitive when describing a natural process (the glue hardened), and transitive when an external force causes the change (the kiln hardens the clay).
常見錯誤
2. To make yourself or another person mentally less affected by something unpleasan
To make yourself or another person mentally less affected by something unpleasant, usually by experiencing it many times until it no longer feels shocking or painful.
Working in the slaughterhouse hardened the young worker to the sight of blood over time.
transitive: experience hardens person to thing
The army deliberately hardened the new soldiers to cold weather through outdoor training.
Omar hardened himself to harsh reviews by remembering that every artist faces rejection.
The repeated failures hardened Jamal to disappointment, but he never stopped applying for jobs.
After a decade of emergency rescues, the mountain guide had hardened to the risk of avalanches.
- desensitize
More clinical or technical; 'desensitize' describes a specific psychological process, while 'harden' is more general.
- inure
More formal; 'inure' means to become accustomed to something unpleasant through prolonged experience.
- toughen
Suggests building mental strength or resilience actively; 'harden' can be more passive.
文法句型
harden someone to something
harden oneself to something
someone hardens to something
用法筆記
The reflexive pattern 'harden oneself to' is deliberate and conscious. The transitive pattern 'experience hardens someone' is unintentional — a gradual result of repeated exposure. The intransitive pattern 'someone hardens to' sits between these two.
常見錯誤
3. To grow more fixed and determined in a belief, opinion, attitude, or course of a
To grow more fixed and determined in a belief, opinion, attitude, or course of action, or to make someone else's stance less flexible.
The long dispute hardened both sides so much that neither would agree to a compromise.
event hardens someone: cause + harden
Years of negative news had hardened public opinion against the mining company.
transitive: time + harden + opinion
The teenager's opposition to the new rules hardened after he was punished unfairly.
Theo's determination hardened into a firm decision to start his own business.
Repeated betrayals hardened Zhang's resolve never to trust business partners blindly again.
- strengthen
More general; 'strengthen' can apply to both positive and negative reinforcement, while 'harden' implies becoming inflexible.
- consolidate
More formal; 'consolidate' emphasizes making something more solid and unified.
- entrench
Suggests a position that has become deeply established and difficult to change, often with a negative connotation.
文法句型
harden a position / attitude / resolve
someone's position hardens
harden into + noun
用法筆記
Common with abstract nouns like 'attitude', 'position', 'resolve', 'opinion', 'opposition', 'determination'. The subject is often an event or experience, not a person — for example, 'the crisis hardened their position' rather than 'they hardened their position'.
常見錯誤
4. To build or equip a structure with special protective materials so that it can r
To build or equip a structure with special protective materials so that it can resist explosive force, extreme heat, radiation, or other dangerous physical threats.
The military hardened the bunker with three metres of reinforced concrete and steel doors.
transitive: harden + structure + with [material]
Nuclear power stations are hardened against earthquakes and tsunamis in vulnerable regions.
passive: be hardened against + threat
During the Cold War, many government buildings were hardened to survive a nuclear attack.
The data centre was hardened against both physical intrusions and powerful electromagnetic pulses.
- fortify
More general; 'fortify' can mean strengthening against any kind of attack, while 'harden' is specifically about protective materials and engineering.
- reinforce
Focuses on adding material strength; 'reinforce' can be used for any structural improvement, not only against specific threats.
- shield
Emphasizes blocking or deflecting a threat, while 'harden' emphasizes making the structure itself resistant.
文法句型
harden something against + noun
be hardened against + noun
用法筆記
Almost always used in the passive voice ('was hardened against') or as an attributive adjective ('hardened facility'). The active voice is rare and sounds technical. The threat is introduced by the preposition 'against' or 'to survive'.
常見錯誤
5. For a person's face, eyes, voice, or expression to suddenly become cold, severe,
For a person's face, eyes, voice, or expression to suddenly become cold, severe, or grim, usually as a reaction to anger, pain, or bad news.
The detective's face hardened when he realised the witness was lying about the alibi.
face hardens + when/temporal clause
Nora's expression hardened as she read the letter from the insurance company denying her claim.
The old man's eyes hardened with anger when he saw the broken fence in his garden.
Jamie's smile hardened into a thin line as the manager announced more job cuts.
文法句型
someone's face / eyes / expression hardens
用法筆記
A literary or descriptive sense often found in novels and narrative non-fiction. The subject is always a part of the face (jaw, eyes, mouth, expression, features). The cause is typically introduced by 'when', 'as', or 'with + emotion'.