hardening
noun /ˈhɑːdnɪŋ/
/ˈhɑːrdnɪŋ/
[uncountable, singular]- the process of becoming or making something become solid or stiff
- hardening of the arteries
- the process of becoming less kind or more fixed and determined
- a hardening of attitudes towards one-parent families
- Sandra answered with a sudden hardening of her tone.
- The sufferings of 1914–1918 led to a hardening of hearts.