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. [1913 Webster]

Let noble Warwick, Cobham, and the rest, . . . With powerful policy strengthen themselves. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

2. To animate; to encourage; to fix in resolution. [1913 Webster]

Charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him. --Deut. iii. 28. [1913 Webster]

Syn: To invigorate; confirm; establish; fortify; animate; encourage. [1913 Webster]

Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
 

Strengthening \Strength"en*ing\, a. That strengthens; giving or increasing strength. -- Strength"en*ing*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

Strengthening plaster (Med.), a plaster containing iron, and supposed to have tonic effects. [1913 Webster]

Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
 

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

Source: Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
 

strengthening adj : invigorating physically or mentally [syn: fortifying]

noun

1: becoming stronger [ant: weakening]
2: the act of increasing the strength of something [ant: weakening]

Source: WordNet (r) 2.0
 

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.

Let noble Warwick, Cobham, and the rest, . . . With powerful policy strengthen themselves. --Shak.

2. To animate; to encourage; to fix in resolution.

Charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him. --Deut. iii. 28.

Syn: To invigorate; confirm; establish; fortify; animate; encourage.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
 

Strengthening \Strength"en*ing\, a. That strengthens; giving or increasing strength. -- Strength"en*ing*ly, adv.

Strengthening plaster (Med.), a plaster containing iron, and supposed to have tonic effects.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)