HARKENED Synonyms: 12 Similar and Opposite Words

harkened

verb

past tense of harken

as in listened

to pay attention especially through the act of hearing young people would do well to read this wise and witty book and harken to its message

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Recent Examples of harkened Last month, Kylian Mbappé left Nike for challenger brand On, in a move that harkened back to Roger Federer’s 2018 exit. — Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2026 This piece from Josh Johnson about New Jersey councilman and former hitman John Alite harkened back to that format. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026 The off-the-shoulder sleeves harkened to a slight Victorian era style, with a voluminous design and gravity-defying appearance. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026 Young has harkened back to the historically bad Tigers team during this run. — Sam Blum, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 The intimate gathering — a salon of sorts — harkened back to Steinem’s history of organizing women like this. — Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026 Superintendent Yvonne Stokes said the idea to provide lunches for students, who can’t be in school because of the ongoing power outage, harkened back to the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020. — Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026 Although the look’s pink color is synonymous with Glinda, the gingham harkened back to the blue apron dress that Judy Garland wore as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz. — Kevin Huynh, InStyle, 31 July 2026 Disney’s 20th Century label harkened back to a beloved tale in which a Devil Wears Prada. — Adam Aron, Variety, 29 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harkened

Verb

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has been around — or listened to — the Chicago Bulls forward for the last couple of years.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
In eastern Kentucky, Libby Honeycutt listened upstairs to the sound of glass breaking below as floodwaters tore apart her house.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of listened

Verb

But moments before the nosedive, passengers seated near the front of the plane heard sounds of a fight inside the cockpit, said passenger Daniel Schlichter, who was seated in the second row.

— SAM MEDNICK, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
Eventually the curtain was closed again and the microphone in the room was turned off, but Pike could still be heard making gasping or snoring sounds.

— Rebecca Boone, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026