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
- heightened adjective
- heightener noun
- unheightened adjective
Etymology
Origin of heighten
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.
Banking lobby groups, however, have argued that granting trust charters could heighten systemic risk and undermine the credibility of the charter itself.
These continuing internal power struggles will further heighten regional tensions.
From BBC
Any near-term rise in oil prices due to heightened geopolitical sentiment could be short-lived, with market focus returning to core supply-demand fundamentals, he says.
Despite heightened geopolitical risk, commodity prices and availability are expected to drive regional equities, as conflicts typically don’t impact markets unless vital supplies are affected.
From Barron's
It was another massive backward step in Amorim's relationship with his bosses, and his continued criticism just heightened that situation.
From BBC
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.
