hardened

hardened — 形容詞

1. No longer shocked or upset by extreme violence, gore, blood, injury, or death, b

1.形容詞B2
釋義

麻木的；冷酷的

因目睹暴力、血腥或死亡而麻木

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.

例句

After years as an emergency room nurse, Elena had grown hardened to the sight of serious injuries.

在急診室當了幾年護士後，Elena 對重傷的景象已經習以為常。

hardened to + noun phrase describing disturbing thing

War reporters often become hardened to the violence they witness every day in conflict zones.

戰地記者往往對衝突地區每天目睹的暴力場面變得麻木。

同義詞
  • 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.

反義詞
  • 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

❌The doctor was hardened of blood.
✅The doctor was hardened to the sight of blood.
💡'hardened to' takes the thing one no longer reacts to, not a cause phrase with 'of'.
❌She was hardened by seeing many sad movies.
✅She became hardened to sad stories after years of watching them at work.
💡'hardened by' describes the cause; 'hardened to' describes what the person no longer reacts to.

2. So deeply involved in a bad lifestyle or illegal activity that the person is no

2.形容詞C1
釋義

積習難改的

惡習已深、不願悔改的

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.

例句

The judge sentenced the hardened criminal to twenty years with no chance of early release.

法官判處這名積習難改的罪犯二十年徒刑，不得提前假釋。

attributive: hardened + criminal

Even hardened thieves sometimes decide to change their ways when they have a family.

即使是慣竊，有時也會因為有了家庭而下定決心改過自新。

同義詞
  • 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.

反義詞
  • 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

❌The thief was very hardened.
✅The thief was a hardened criminal.
💡This sense is almost always used before a noun, not alone as a predicate.
❌Maria was a hardened liar who told small lies.
✅Maria was a hardened liar who deceived everyone for years.
💡'Hardened' in this sense implies deep, long-term involvement, not casual behavior.

3. So accustomed to sadness, disappointment, rejection, or loss that you are able t

3.形容詞B2
釋義

習慣悲傷的

學會面對悲傷而不被擊垮

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.

例句

Though hardened to the sadness, the hospice nurse still held each patient's hand with warmth.

雖然對悲傷已經習慣，這位安寧病房護士依然溫暖地握著每位病人的手。

hardened to + noun expressing emotion

Klaus had become hardened to the disappointment of cancelled flights after years of business trips.

經過多年的商務旅行，Klaus 對於航班取消的失望早已習以為常。

同義詞
  • 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'.

反義詞
  • 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

❌She was hardened to bad news and stopped crying.
✅She was hardened to bad news but continued working calmly.
💡This sense emphasizes continued functioning, not emotional shutdown.
❌The cat grew hardened to the rain.
✅The gardener grew hardened to the rain.
💡This sense applies to people, not animals or objects.

hardened — 動詞