1. The process of becoming hard or solid by cooling or drying or crystallization
   "the hardening of concrete";
   - solidifying, solidification, set, curing
    
2. The act of making something harder (firmer, tighter or more compact)
   "The hardening of the concrete took several days"
    
3. Abnormal hardening or thickening of tissue
   "The doctor noticed hardening of the arteries in the elderly patient"

1. Become hard or harder
   "The wax hardened";
   - indurate
    
2. Make hard or harder
   "The cold hardened the butter";
   - indurate
    
3. Harden by reheating and cooling in oil
   "harden steel";
   - temper
    
4. To accustom or habituate to something difficult or unpleasant
   "He was hardened to the cold";
   - inure, indurate, enure
    
5. Make or become tougher or more resilient through experience or exposure
   "The training hardened the recruits";
   - season

Derived forms: hardenings

Type of: accustom, action, activity, change, change of integrity, habituate, modify, natural action, natural process, symptom, toughen

Antonym: soften

Part of: plastination

Encyclopedia: Hardening