heighten
to increase the degree or amount of; augment: Cézanne's death heightened the value of his paintings.
to strengthen, deepen, or intensify: to heighten the plot of a story; to heighten one's awareness or appreciation; to heighten one's suffering.
to bring out the important features of, as in a drawing: to heighten a picture with Chinese white.
to become higher.
to increase: The tension heightened as the enemy forces advanced.
to brighten or become more intense.
Origin of heighten
1synonym study For heighten
Other words from heighten
- height·en·er, noun
- un·height·ened, adjective
Words Nearby heighten
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use heighten in a sentence
These concerns are heightened by the FDA’s premature EUA of hydroxychloroquine prior to testing last spring, an approval the FDA later withdrew.
6 questions that must be answered in the race for a vaccine | jakemeth | September 15, 2020 | FortuneA pandemic-induced economic collapse will only heighten the vulnerabilities and speed the transition, reducing to nothing whatever thin margin of financial protection has kept people in place.
Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration | by Abrahm Lustgarten, photography by Meridith Kohut | September 15, 2020 | ProPublicaLong-term care residents also are at heightened risk of institutional abuse and neglect.
Confirmed Nursing Home Complaints Plummet During Pandemic | Jared Whitlock | August 25, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoThey say the fact that the utility is getting out of the power-buying business, and will be relying on the 10 percent return it gets to build things, heightens the importance of the charge.
The City Is Walking a Fine Line in Demanding Millions From Its Next Power Provider | MacKenzie Elmer | August 7, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoInstead, an unusual number of problems have occurred — some serious enough that they have made it harder for people to vote and even put them at a heightened risk for infection.
There Have Been 38 Statewide Elections During The Pandemic. Here’s How They Went. | Nathaniel Rakich (nathaniel.rakich@fivethirtyeight.com) | August 3, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
Dirty talk can be a huge part of foreplay and even heighten the experience of sex for some.
The UK’s War on Porn: ‘Proof That Men Making These Rules Do Not See Women as Equals’ | Aurora Snow | December 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOr really more that Instagram is no different than these paintings of yore that served to heighten status.
Adrian Grenier Talks the Economy, the ‘Entourage’ Movie, and the HBO Series’ Alleged ‘Misogyny’ | Marlow Stern | October 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“AIDS is effecting the world, so I wanted to heighten the awareness that we are all in the same boat,” Mooney said.
Victor Mooney’s Epic Adventure for His Dead Brother | Justin Jones | October 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd the fact the line was moved from a scene in the middle of the film to one at the end only served to heighten its impact.
What Was Bogey Thinking When He Said ‘Here’s Looking At You, Kid’? | Lewis Beale | September 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe has spoken about how he would listen to her to smooth over the rough days, or heighten his joy.
Billie Holiday, Barack Obama, and the Pain of Black Women | Joshua DuBois | June 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTShe is sometimes tempted to heighten a little the incidents, in order to get on a little better, and to make more impression.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence HartleyAfter the feeling had come to her, to heighten the sensation she espied a little card hung under the small mirror on the wall.
You Never Know Your Luck, Complete | Gilbert ParkerThe youthful pair start beneath the smile of a blue sky, flecked with milk-while clouds merely to heighten the effect.
The Petty Troubles of Married Life, Complete | Honore de BalzacI cannot say that it will increase our pleasure, but it will certainly heighten the interest of the morning excursion.
Gardens of the Caribbees, v. 1/2 | Ida May Hill StarrMoreover, an action of Agathocles himself served to heighten the anger of the multitude and of Tlepolemus.
The Histories of Polybius, Vol. II (of 2) | Polybius
British Dictionary definitions for heighten
/ (ˈhaɪtən) /
to make or become high or higher
to make or become more extreme or intense
Derived forms of heighten
- heightened, adjective
- heightener, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse