a. 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. [ PJC ] 3. Experienced and inured to hardship; as, hardened combat troops. [ PJC ] 4. Strongly habituated to a certain type of behavior, and unlikely to change; as, a hardened criminal. Usually used only of behavior perceived negatively. [ PJC ] Syn. -- Impenetrable; hard; obdurate; callous; unfeeling; unsusceptible; insensible. See Obdurate. [ 1913 Webster ] |