TOUGHEN Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

toughen

verb

ˈtə-fən

Definition of toughen

as in to strengthen

to increase the ability of (as a muscle) to exert physical force weight lifting will help toughen those flabby muscles of yours

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to harden

to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure hiking every morning through snow and ice toughened him considerably

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as in to stiffen

to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe attempts to toughen conditions under which waivers from military service would be permitted

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of toughen Pan, a pediatrician, made national headlines during his time in Legislature for leading the state’s efforts to toughen school vaccine requirements. — Mathew Miranda june 23, Sacbee.com, 23 June 2026 The moves toughen the environment in Brazil for giants like Google, Meta and TikTok, who have long tried to dissociate themselves with crimes online committed by users. — ABC News, 20 May 2026 Britain has increasingly toughened its approach to tech companies in recent years, urging or forcing them to impose age verification, adapt their algorithms and, most recently, prevent children from circulating nude images taken on mobile phones. — Reuters, CNN Money, 15 June 2026 Through the efforts of the foundation, the Florida Legislature passed a law in 2025 that toughens penalties for boating crashes that end in serious injury, for providing misleading statements to law enforcement during a boat-crash investigation, and boating under the influence of alcohol or drugs. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for toughen

Recent Examples of Synonyms for toughen

Verb

Manucurist formulates its masks with panthenol, a form of vitamin B5, to hydrate and strengthen dry nails over time, reducing breakage.

— Irene Richardson, InStyle, 4 July 2026
The only way to preserve our republic is to strengthen the pillars of our present with the mortar of our past.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026

Definition of strengthen

Verb

The organizations that succeed build the platform first, establish a real control plane, harden the data and infrastructure layers, and then let teams scale agents on top of it.

— Harsha Kotikela, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
The interview, released in August, was supposed to follow the show’s usual strange logic, but instead the exchange hardened around Gaza, with Friedland growing visibly emotional as Torres remained largely unmoved.

— Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 29 June 2026

Definition of harden

Verb

Group 1 is pulmonary arterial hypertension, a rare and severe version that occurs when blood vessels in the lungs narrow and stiffen.

— Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 26 June 2026
Pulisic played a dynamic first half in the Americans' historic 4-1 victory over Paraguay to open their home World Cup nearly two weeks ago, but the AC Milan midfielder came off at halftime after an injury from training stiffened up.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 June 2026