strengthening

strengthening
    n 1: becoming stronger [ant: {weakening}]
    2: the act of increasing the strength of something [ant:
       {weakening}]
    

Strengthen \Strength"en\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Strengthened}; p.
   pr. & vb. n. {Strengthening}.]
   1. To make strong or stronger; to add strength to; as, to
      strengthen a limb, a bridge, an army; to strengthen an
      obligation; to strengthen authority.
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            Let noble Warwick, Cobham, and the rest, . . .
            With powerful policy strengthen themselves. --Shak.
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   2. To animate; to encourage; to fix in resolution.
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            Charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen
            him.                                  --Deut. iii.
                                                  28.
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   Syn: To invigorate; confirm; establish; fortify; animate;
        encourage.
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Strengthening \Strength"en*ing\, a.
   That strengthens; giving or increasing strength. --
   {Strength"en*ing*ly}, adv.
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   {Strengthening plaster} (Med.), a plaster containing iron,
      and supposed to have tonic effects.
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69 Moby Thesaurus words for "strengthening":
      accelerando, acceleration, affirmation, aggravation, analeptic,
      attestation, authentication, backing, backing up, bearing out,
      beefing-up, blowing up, blowup, bolstering, bracing, buttressing,
      case hardening, certification, circumstantiation, concentration,
      condensation, confirmation, consolidation, corroborant,
      corroboration, corroboratory evidence, deepening, documentation,
      enhancement, exacerbation, exaggeration, explosion, fortification,
      hardening, heating-up, heightening, information explosion,
      intensification, invigorating, invigoration, magnification, pickup,
      population explosion, proof, proving, proving out, ratification,
      redoubling, refreshing, refreshment, reinforcement, reinvigoration,
      restorative, restrengthening, revivification, reviving, roborant,
      speedup, step-up, stimulating, substantiation, support,
      supporting evidence, tempering, tightening, tonic, undergirding,
      validation, verification