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
Etymology
Origin of heighten
Explanation
When you heighten something, you increase it or make it more intense. If you want to heighten awareness about homelessness, you might write an article for your local newspaper. Extreme weather can act to heighten people's concern about climate change, and publicity for a good cause can heighten awareness of the ways college students can volunteer their time. A movie director might heighten the tension in a scene by using scary music and dramatic lighting. In all of these cases, something is intensified or increased. The oldest, fifteenth-century meaning of heighten, however, was "to exalt, honor, or raise to a high position."
Vocabulary lists containing heighten
And Then There Were None
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Part 3 Vocabulary II (Unit 1)
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"Watching New Love as It Sears the Brain," Vocabulary from the article
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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.
"Heighten our vigilance and defend our motherland," says one.
From Time Magazine Archive
One year he fell into the hands of old Mrs. Heighten.
From The Evolution of Dodd by Smith, William Hawley
Heighten it a little more, and he could forecast the weather and the seasons, and detect hidden springs and minerals.
From A Year in the Fields by Burroughs, John
Heighten the color, if too pale, with spinach coloring, and flavor to taste.
From Choice Cookery by Owen, Catherine
The lotus with the Saivala entwined Is not a whit less brilliant: dusky spots Heighten the lustre of the cold-rayed moon: This lovely maiden in her dress of bark Seems all the lovelier.
From Hindu literature : Comprising The Book of good counsels, Nala and Damayanti, The Ramayana, and Sakoontala by Arnold, Edwin, Sir
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.
