YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME
Indurate
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UNDERSTAND THE WORD
Meaning in plain English
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Pronunciation
Indurateverb /ˈɪndjʊˌreɪt/; adjective /ˈɪndjʊrɪt/
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PICTURE THE IDEA
See the meaning
Soft material
It becomes hard
SEE IT IN EVERYDAY ENGLISH
Examples in context
Read the examples aloud. Notice how the word fits the sentence, then think of a situation of your own.
- Years of hardship indurated his heart to suffering.
- The judge remained indurate, unmoved by the defendant’s tears.
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The judge remained ________, unmoved by the defendant’s tears.
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Indurate — As a verb, to make or become hard. As an adjective, hardened or unfeeling.
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Write one sentence using “Indurate” about your own life.
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Does your sentence match this meaning?
As a verb, to make or become hard. As an adjective, hardened or unfeeling.
Compare: Years of hardship indurated his heart to suffering.
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Two word forms, two uses
Indurate is an uncommon, formal word. As a verb it means to make or become hard. As an adjective it describes something hardened, including a person portrayed as unfeeling. It can describe physical hardening or be used figuratively.
Compare to indurate, an action, with an indurate response, a description. In everyday writing, harden, hardened or unfeeling may communicate more directly.
Pronunciation depends on the word form
In British English, the verb is /ˈɪndjʊˌreɪt/ and the adjective is /ˈɪndjʊrɪt/. The verb ends with /reɪt/; the adjective with /rɪt/. The main stress is on the first syllable. Do not assume the ending is pronounced the same in both uses.
Check your understanding
In “The experience seemed to indurate his feelings,” is indurate a verb or an adjective? What about “an indurate official”?
Check your answer
The first is a verb after to, describing a change. The second is an adjective modifying official. These are literary examples, not a claim that hardship inevitably makes people unfeeling.
Try a clearer alternative
Rewrite “an indurate attitude” using a familiar adjective. An unfeeling attitude can work when the intended sense concerns a lack of compassion. Explain your intended meaning before choosing a rare word.
Reference: Collins English Dictionary: indurate. Read our longer Indurate lesson.
Word origin
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