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:
These ancient variable stars are especially important because they brighten and dim in a predictable pattern.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
The idea behind the mural was to brighten up the village of around 1,500 people, so artist Steve Jenkins was enlisted.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
The acid should be present enough to brighten the beans and keep the dish from feeling heavy, but not so assertive that it dominates.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026
Baron’s prospects could brighten if SpaceX shares soar next month in what’s expected to be the biggest-ever stock-market debut.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
He leaned forward and Francie saw his eyes brighten with unshed tears.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
“It kind of brightens the day a little bit because it’s just so random.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
She brightens into a smile, then tears come.
From BBC ● May 29, 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
There’s a whisper of lemon or lime that brightens without shouting, and sugar that amplifies sweetness rather than dominating it, leaving the peach as the undeniable star.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
Papi’s face brightens, so I’m hoping it’s good news.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
Gillian Jones said she liked it and it "brightened her day"
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 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
Just as white wine brightened Hemingway’s spirits long ago, it has lately been a bright spot in an otherwise dark time for the industry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
It will arrive after a fairly quiet year for IPOs that was brightened last week when Cerebras Systems, a Sunnyvale company that makes semiconductors for AI supercomputers, went public.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
As usual, something about her presence brightened the room and lightened Ophie’s spirits a touch.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
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
Even so, Stevenson emphasized that the findings should not be interpreted as a blanket rejection of marine cloud brightening.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 3, 2026
But from where we sat, it was as if we were inside a sun going up at night, the suspended bands of light brightening and intensifying our yellow abode.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
"Eh, what's that?" said King Lune, his face brightening.
From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis
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.
