heighten
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
-
to strengthen, deepen, or intensify.
to heighten the plot of a story; to heighten one's awareness or appreciation; to heighten one's suffering.
-
to bring out the important features of, as in a drawing.
to heighten a picture with Chinese white.
verb (used without object)
-
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.
-
to brighten or become more intense.
verb
-
to make or become high or higher
-
to make or become more extreme or intense
Synonym Usage
See elevate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
heightensimple
-
heightenssimple
-
have heightenedperfect
-
has heightenedperfect
-
am heighteningprogressive
-
are heighteningprogressive
-
is heighteningprogressive
-
have been heighteningperfect progressive
-
has been heighteningperfect progressive
Past
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Part 3 Vocabulary II (Unit 1)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Watching New Love as It Sears the Brain," Vocabulary from the article
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Cybersecurity stocks have been hot this year as investors have reasoned that artificial intelligence will heighten the need for digital protection.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
Exports rose 36.3% from a year earlier in September, beating market expectations and potentially threatening to heighten trade tensions with major partners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
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
The opposite was true: they seemed to talk only to heighten their anticipation of the next bite, and when the next bite came, their faces took on a look of utter absorption.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
This is focused on a dispute with Saudi Arabia but heightens insecurity for international shipping.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
The latest threat heightens the risk the neighboring countries could descend into all-out economic conflict and casts further doubt over the future of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Feeding wild birds heightens the risk of disease transmission at feeding locations.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
But out of all the co-creators and producers’ names listed in the drama’s credits, it’s Lindelof’s that heightens our expectations, owing to his outstanding success with his 2019 reinterpretation of “Watchmen.”
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
In the absence of shoes, which they are forbidden to wear, this red color heightens the beauty of their tiny feet.
From The Hindoos as they Are A Description of the Manners, Customs and the Inner Life of Hindoo Society in Bengal by Shib Chunder Bose
“As we navigate heightened macro uncertainties and ongoing volatility, our conviction in building a deeper and more diverse multi-asset ecosystem has only strengthened.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Spanish control over Mississippi navigation posed a critical problem for the U.S., which was heightened by the French Revolutionary Wars of the 1790s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Because the study was observational, it cannot determine whether eating ultra-processed foods directly causes heightened brain activity or increases in body weight.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
Nawrocki later travelled to the tribunal, where disagreements with newly elected judges further heightened tensions.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
Her passion and heightened sense of justice do not make it easy for her to keep opinions buttoned up.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
The gap between U.S. and Japan interest rates had been contributing to the yen’s recent weakness, heightening its appeal for the so-called carry trade, in which traders use low-yielding currencies to invest in higher-yielding assets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 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
While the exact cause of the glacial collapse is unclear, climate change is causing glaciers to melt worldwide, heightening the risk of such disasters.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
Great for heightening drama, terrible for addressing the country's immediate difficulties.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Was he not heightening the horror of his own end by straining after a flickering hope?
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
