Link Centre Dictionary

heighten

heigh·ten

UK/ˈhaɪ̯.tən/ US/ˈhaɪ̯tn̩/ rare

verb

1.

become more extreme

  • “The tension heightened”
Synonyms
2.

make more extreme; raise in quantity, degree, or intensity

  • “heightened interest”
3.

increase

  • “This will enhance your enjoyment”
  • “heighten the tension”
Synonyms
4.

increase the height of

  • “The athletes kept jumping over the steadily heightened bars”
5.

make (one''s senses) more acute

  • “This drug will sharpen your vision”
Synonyms
6.

make more intense, stronger, or more marked

  • “The efforts were intensified”
  • “Her rudeness intensified his dislike for her”
  • “Pot smokers claim it heightens their awareness”
  • “This event only deepened my convictions”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English heightenen, hyghtenen, equivalent to height + -en (verbal suffix).

Phrases

  • heighten up

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.