heighten
Americanverb (used with object)
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to increase the degree or amount of; augment.
Cézanne's death heightened the value of his paintings.
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to strengthen, deepen, or intensify.
to heighten the plot of a story; to heighten one's awareness or appreciation; to heighten one's suffering.
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to bring out the important features of, as in a drawing.
to heighten a picture with Chinese white.
verb (used without object)
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to become higher.
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to increase.
The tension heightened as the enemy forces advanced.
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to brighten or become more intense.
verb
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to make or become high or higher
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to make or become more extreme or intense
Related Words
See elevate.
Other Word Forms
- heightened adjective
- heightener noun
- unheightened adjective
Etymology
Origin of heighten
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.
But if the fighting in Iran stretches into a second month, heightening financial pressure on U.S. workers, the written and unwritten rules about office attendance could get put to the test.
From MarketWatch
"Flies don't have human hormones like estrogen, suggesting that other genetic or physiological factors are driving the heightened sensitivity in females," said Biological Sciences Professor Kyung-An Han.
From Science Daily
According to a new study by Northwestern Mutual, Americans’ heightened expectations for how much they’ll need for retirement come as actual retirement savings remain a fraction of that goal for many.
From MarketWatch
“However, due to heightened uncertainty about the Middle East situation, the outlook for business conditions is expected to deteriorate, making the timing of subsequent rate hikes difficult to predict,” they add.
That suggests heightened volatility into next month’s earnings season and could put a cap on fresh capital flowing into the space.
From Barron's
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.
