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:
“I’ve found that it really helps brighten the skin, even the skin tone, prevents breakouts and also just helps with smell,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Jordan sewed sage green curtains to conceal additional storage spaces and further brighten the space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
There’s no sign that appearances will soon brighten.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
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
It can be an explosion that ruins everything, or a beautiful power that can brighten cities.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
If you enjoy heat, ask for extra basbaas, a green chile and cilantro sauce that brightens the whole plate.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
“It kind of brightens the day a little bit because it’s just so random.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
“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
Each time the glass doors slide open our faces turn in unison and one of them brightens.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Rather than struggle with the weight of expectation, his performances have improved as the spotlight on him has brightened.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
A December day in Stalingrad in 1942: “The dark clouds shed their burden, then brightened and climbed higher into the sky. The fog froze, settling as a thick white powder on army telegraph cables.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
When it was time for an elder gent to step to the podium, the judge brightened.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Her work focused on periods when the galaxy's X-ray output brightened in flares and on how the X-ray signal evolved in the hours afterward.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026
Its gray leaves brightened the hillsides and meadows along the river.
From "In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse" by Joseph Marshall III
After the analysis, she was able to pick from care packages, each with a different purpose, such as slowing aging, hydrating the skin, clarifying it or brightening it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
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
The researchers expected marine cloud brightening to influence the climate, but not to this extent.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 3, 2026
“Oh, ho, ho!” he squealed, crimson eyes brightening.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
