heighten
Americanverb (used with object)
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heightens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
heightened,
past participle, past
-
heightening
present participle
-
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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heightens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
heightened,
past participle, past
-
heightening
present participle
-
to become higher.
-
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
Synonym Usage
See elevate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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heightensimple
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heightenssimple
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have heightenedperfect
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has heightenedperfect
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am heighteningprogressive
-
are heighteningprogressive
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is heighteningprogressive
-
have been heighteningperfect progressive
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has been heighteningperfect progressive
Past
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heightenedsimple
-
had heightenedperfect
-
was heighteningprogressive
-
were heighteningprogressive
-
had been heighteningperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
European stock indexes dropped sharply at the open as inflation concerns on the continent heighten.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
And while one more leg down in bonds would present an “incredible buying opportunity,” McDonald said, surging energy prices are continuing to heighten the risk of recession.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
"On the new journey ahead, we must heighten our sense of vigilance against potential dangers," he said during Monday's event.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Still, the central bank’s view that underlying consumer inflation may exceed its 2% price stability target suggests a potential acceleration in the pace of rate hikes if such risks heighten, he adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
But written words heighten the feeling of privacy.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
“Lee” Xinyuan Li’s lighting heightens the sense of theatrical foreboding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
This is focused on a dispute with Saudi Arabia but heightens insecurity for international shipping.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Feeding wild birds heightens the risk of disease transmission at feeding locations.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
Tehran’s evolving strategy will likely make it harder to reach a durable agreement to end the conflict, and heightens the risk of more-frequent rounds of escalation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Occasionally also, or in the case of opera throughout, dramatic poetry heightens the emotional effect of its words with music.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 3 "Fenton, Edward" to "Finistere" by Various
“You cannot be able to put a wall between Uganda and D.R. Congo, between Kenya and Uganda, to prevent the entry of a pathogen, so we continue to maintain a heightened state of alert.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
He wore a bulletproof vest during his first trial in 2020, which was also subject to heightened security measures.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
The African Union, based in Ethiopia, said it was "following with concern the heightened tensions between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt", urging "maximum restraint".
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Calls from leading AI executives to slow the development of frontier AI models amid heightened safety concerns are also chilling the M&A environment, the report noted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
“In this climate of heightened accountability, some believe that schools will give instructional time only to subjects that are included in high-stakes testing,” it states.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
“The Crazy Uncle Joe Show” has helped Black be a good listener in life, heightening his awareness of the world around him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
The company has bolstered the memory capacity on its devices to support these capabilities — simultaneously heightening its supply-chain cost pressures.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026
The outbreak is still not under control and is taking place in a conflict zone with very mobile populations – heightening the need for a vaccine to help stop the spread of disease.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
PepsiCo PEP -4.00%decrease; red down pointing triangle Chief Executive Ramon Laguarta, though, sees new opportunities for one of America’s biggest beverage and snack companies, from portion control to heightening mental focus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
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.
