What does induration mean?
Induration is the process of becoming hard or firm, most often used in medicine for abnormal hardening of tissue caused by inflammation, scarring, or the deposition of fibrous material. It can also denote a hardened area itself. The term is related to the state of being indurated, meaning hard or thickened, and appears in descriptions of conditions affecting the liver, lymph nodes, skin, and other organs. In formal literary English, induration can mean obstinacy or inflexible persistence of character, though this sense is uncommon in everyday speech. The word is useful because it distinguishes persistent pathological hardening from temporary or normal firmness, while its broader figurative meaning conveys a degree of stubbornness that is more formal than the common phrase “being set in one's ways.”
The process of becoming hard or firm, especially abnormal hardening of tissue.
"The scan showed evidence of induration along the abdominal wall."
A medical term used especially for persistent or pathological hardening caused by fibrosis, inflammation, or sclerosis.
A hardened area or mass of tissue.
"The clinician palpated a firm induration beneath the skin."
This is a countable medical use and is less common than the processive sense.
Stubbornness or an inflexible, obstinate quality of character.
"Years of political disagreement had only deepened her induration."
Formal and literary; chiefly used in figurative contexts.
Used for distinct hardened areas or masses of tissue; the process itself is normally expressed in the singular.
"Several small indurations were detected during the examination."
In medicine, induration names the hardening that can develop where inflammation has persisted or left behind dense scar tissue.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does induration come from?
Induration comes through Latin from indurare, meaning “to make hard,” formed from in- and durus, “hard.” The English noun developed in the early modern period in contexts describing the hardening or consolidation of material, before its medical use became established. Related English formations include indurate, endure, and durable, all connected with the Latin roots for hardness and endurance.
Related word forms
How induration is actually used
The medical sense is most common. The figurative sense, meaning stubbornness, is formal and literary. In pathology, induration usually describes persistent hardening rather than the momentary firmness caused by ordinary muscle contraction.