brighten
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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brightens,
present (3rd person singular)
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brightened,
past participle, past
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brightening
present participle
verb
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to make or become bright or brighter
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to make or become cheerful
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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brightensimple
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brightenssimple
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have brightenedperfect
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has brightenedperfect
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am brighteningprogressive
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are brighteningprogressive
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is brighteningprogressive
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have been brighteningperfect progressive
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has been brighteningperfect progressive
Past
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brightenedsimple
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had brightenedperfect
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was brighteningprogressive
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were brighteningprogressive
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had been brighteningperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
Wangchuk studied mechanical engineering after a relative noticed his experiments with concave mirrors to brighten dark buildings and cook food.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
The acid should be present enough to brighten the beans and keep the dish from feeling heavy, but not so assertive that it dominates.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026
With Tehran and Washington now having agreed a deal, which is due to be signed Friday in Switzerland, hopes are growing that the outlook will brighten.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
A series of converging yellow rays brighten the Wilshire/La Brea station.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
Her blue eyes brighten as she smiles at me.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
“With the record high gold prices, stronger sales volume growth brightens its earnings growth outlook,” the analyst says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
Each fall, the Taurid meteor shower brightens the night sky from late October through early November.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2025
The subsequent Weoley Warriors group encouraged flags to be put up and it previously told the BBC Midlands Today programme that "we really hope it brightens your day and brings joy and love".
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2025
The sun isn’t to blame for light pollution that brightens the night sky, though — we are.
From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2025
Her whole face brightens, and she goes on this long rant about all the amazing things she’s learned and seen and done.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
When it was time for an elder gent to step to the podium, the judge brightened.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
"She was always cheerful, positive and kind, with a smile on her face and a warmth that brightened the day of those around her," he said.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
Just as white wine brightened Hemingway’s spirits long ago, it has lately been a bright spot in an otherwise dark time for the industry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
The outlook for managed-care players brightened significantly at the start of April.
From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026
A couple of them brightened when Coal reached out to them.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
A street artist known as the "Minion Man" has turned his attention to brightening up his area's dirty and vandalised street cabinets.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Already, the technical picture for stocks is brightening, signaling that the rebound in chip stocks and the broader momentum factor seen this week might continue, Kettern wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
But from where we sat, it was as if we were inside a sun going up at night, the suspended bands of light brightening and intensifying our yellow abode.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Esther Crain, the author of ‘The Gilded Age in New York, 1870-1910,’ says gold interiors served a practical purpose: brightening rooms lit by gaslight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
On the bed is my mother brightening, like a light.
From "Ninth Ward" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
