Dictionary.com

brighten

[ brahyt-n ]
/ ˈbraɪt n /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR brighten ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with or without object)

to become or make bright or brighter.

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characterized by cleverness or originality of invention or construction.
carried on abroad, or with other countries.
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Origin of brighten

First recorded in 1250–1300, brighten is from the Middle English word brightnen.See bright, -en1

OTHER WORDS FROM brighten

re·bright·en, verbun·bright·ened, adjective

Words nearby brighten

Brighouse, bright, bright and early, bright-blindness, bright coal, brighten, brightener, brightening agent, bright-eyed, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, bright-field
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to brighten

enliven, lighten, illuminate, clear up, light up, perk up, improve, illumine, gleam, burnish, polish, kindle, intensify, gladden, cheer, encourage, hearten, punch up, spiff up, buck up

Example sentences from the Web for brighten

British Dictionary definitions for brighten

brighten
/ (ˈbraɪtən) /

verb

to make or become bright or brighter
to make or become cheerful

Derived forms of brighten

brightener, 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