Sentence:  The cold settled like a tangible pall over the Mile High City , locking it in an icy grip that <WSD>harshened</WSD> its outlines and altered its physical appearance ; it had a look of grim stark realism , resembling other cities whose habitual climate was cold , instead of the sprawling bumptious open-handed greedy Western city basking in eternal sunshine at the foot of mountains stored with endless riches and resources . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  make harsh or harsher