brighten
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
-
to make or become bright or brighter
-
to make or become cheerful
Other Word Forms
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.
Brighten up your holiday season with a change of scene that’s less than a two-hour drive from Seattle.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2022
Harness Your Hopes, a b-side recorded during sessions for 1997's Brighten The Corners, has suddenly risen from obscurity to become Pavement's most-streamed song,
From BBC • Oct. 8, 2022
Brighten someone’s living space with this tree that’s said to usher in prosperity.
From Fox News • Dec. 9, 2021
Brighten up those winter blues with this extra-soft quarter zip.
From Golf Digest • Feb. 8, 2019
Brighten up stainless steel sinks with baby oil.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
