Unhardened

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not made firm or solid; lacking in emotional or mental resilience; not yet set or stiffened by any process
2. Remaining soft or pliable without becoming toughened; emotionally tender or impressionable rather than callous; physically not rigid or cured
3. Characterized by a lack of firmness or toughness in texture; susceptible to feeling or easily influenced; in a state prior to hardening or solidification

Etymology: "Unhardened" is simply the prefix "un-" attached to "hardened," the past participle of "harden." The prefix traces back to a very old root meaning "not," which passed through Proto-Germanic and Old English into the modern language, where it became one of the most productive ways of making a negative from an existing word. "Hardened" itself comes from "harden," which describes making something hard or firm. The result is a plain, literal compound: something that has not been made hard, or has not undergone the process of hardening. It is used most often of materials such as steel, clay, concrete, or glue, and in a figurative sense of people whose feelings or attitudes have not yet been toughened by experience.

Synonyms: soft, pliable, flexible, tender, weak

Antonyms: hardened, tough, rigid, strong, firm