as in listening
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 harkening
The minidress featured a relatively loose fit, harkening back to a 1960s silhouette.
—
Julia Teti, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
But from the outside, this level of cultish reverence for a rock band in 2025 feels both new and nostalgic, harkening back to the days when such bands ruled the world.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
Braff and Faison launched the Scrubs rewatch podcast Fake Doctors, Real Friends in 2020, and have teamed up for a bunch of T-Mobile commercials harkening back to their onscreen friendship.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Oct. 2025
The track has roots harkening back to Don Reno, Red Smiley and The Tennessee Cutups in 1956, plus being favored by another teenage performer turned eventual Country Music Hall of Famer, Marty Stuart.
—Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean, 20 Sep. 2025
Now, brands founded and fed by Latinx leaders are among some of the industry’s most revolutionary, harkening back to tradition and creating cutting edge new techniques, many simultaneously.
—Carley Rojas Ávila, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The Pitt stood out from the pack by harkening back to the ER era of episodic storytelling and longer season lengths.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
The term predates automobiles entirely, harkening back to the Wild West when the passenger sitting next to a stagecoach driver would carry a very literal shotgun.
—Diana Hubbell, Popular Science, 21 Aug. 2025
Marking the franchise’s first sequel in 14 years, Bloodlines serves as a partial prequel, harkening back to an incident in 1969.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2025
Julia Teti, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
But from the outside, this level of cultish reverence for a rock band in 2025 feels both new and nostalgic, harkening back to the days when such bands ruled the world.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
Braff and Faison launched the Scrubs rewatch podcast Fake Doctors, Real Friends in 2020, and have teamed up for a bunch of T-Mobile commercials harkening back to their onscreen friendship.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Oct. 2025
The track has roots harkening back to Don Reno, Red Smiley and The Tennessee Cutups in 1956, plus being favored by another teenage performer turned eventual Country Music Hall of Famer, Marty Stuart.
—Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean, 20 Sep. 2025
Now, brands founded and fed by Latinx leaders are among some of the industry’s most revolutionary, harkening back to tradition and creating cutting edge new techniques, many simultaneously.
—Carley Rojas Ávila, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The Pitt stood out from the pack by harkening back to the ER era of episodic storytelling and longer season lengths.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
The term predates automobiles entirely, harkening back to the Wild West when the passenger sitting next to a stagecoach driver would carry a very literal shotgun.
—Diana Hubbell, Popular Science, 21 Aug. 2025
Marking the franchise’s first sequel in 14 years, Bloodlines serves as a partial prequel, harkening back to an incident in 1969.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harkening
listening
Verb
-
And now, fans are listening to soul remixes and slighting hip-hop’s resonance.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Godard and Rick have a similar artistic integrity about listening to their inner compass.—
Tomris Laffly,
Vogue,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harkening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harkening. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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