01 a. Made hard, or harder, or compact; made unfeeling or callous; made obstinate or obdurate; confirmed in error or vice.
-
1.
Made hard, or harder, or compact; made unfeeling or callous; made obstinate or obdurate; confirmed in error or vice.
-
2.
Rendered resistant to the effects of nearby explosions; as, a hardened missile silo; hardened warhead electronics.
-
3.
Experienced and inured to hardship; as, hardened combat troops.
-
4.
Strongly habituated to a certain type of behavior, and unlikely to change; as, a hardened criminal. Usually used only of behavior perceived negatively.
Syn.
Impenetrable; hard; obdurate; callous; unfeeling; unsusceptible; insensible. See Obdurate.