brighten
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
-
to make or become bright or brighter
-
to make or become cheerful
Other Word Forms
- brightener noun
- rebrighten verb
- unbrightened adjective
Etymology
Origin of brighten
First recorded in 1250–1300, brighten is from the Middle English word brightnen. See bright, -en 1
Explanation
To brighten is to make something lighter, the way you brighten your back yard with glowing patio lights or brighten up your gloomy bedroom by painting the walls yellow. When the sun comes out after several rainy days, it brightens your house and the walk to school, but it can also brighten your mood. This verb is perfect for both ways of making things light and cheerful — adding something that emits light or lending a happy or hopeful mood to a situation. Your best friend may be so funny and positive that they brighten a room just by walking in.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If fresh ice was exposed, why did the comet not brighten right away?
From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2026
Candyland was designed in 1948 to brighten spirits of children in hospital wards.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026
Winter really does need these tiny pockets of sweetness to brighten the bite, and whether you choose something caramelized and dense or something juicy and sharp, that contrast makes the whole thing sing.
From Salon • Dec. 16, 2025
The idea first came about after local man Robert Hicks asked if anything could be done to "brighten up the dark nights" in winter.
From BBC • Dec. 3, 2025
“I hear ya. Well, you’re doing that. Every time you come in here, you brighten the whole room up. Maybe it’s the hair.”
From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
