heightened; heightening
ˈhī-tᵊn-iŋ 
ˈhīt-niŋ
1
a
: to increase the amount or degree of : augment
heighten interest in the book
heighten tensions in the region
b
: to make brighter or more intense : deepen
… slowly rubbing the gold piece … as if to heighten its lustre …—
Herman Melville
Herman Melville
c
: to bring out more strongly : point up
… uses the camera to punctuate and heighten the story.—Stacey Bell
Stacey Bell
d
: to make more acute : sharpen
heighten the contrast on a monitor
2
a
: to raise high or higher : elevate
b
: to raise above the ordinary or trite
heightened prose
3
obsolete
: elate
2
a
: to become great or greater in amount, degree, or extent
b
: to become brighter or more intense
Examples of heighten in a Sentence
The plan will only heighten tensions between the two groups.
This tragedy has heightened our awareness of the need for improved safety measures.
Tensions between the two groups have heightened.
Recent Examples on the Web
So, while the Dodgers crawled out of the hole with a season-high 17 hits, the steep cost heightens the pressure on the rest of the rotation the rest of the series.
—
Liana Handler
follow,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2026
Adult males go through musth, a periodic condition that heightens their aggression.
—
ABC News,
3 July 2026
However, advocates argued that Musk’s changes to X have only raised additional concerns about the platform’s data handling that should heighten the FTC’s monitoring and are not a cause to terminate it.
—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
2 July 2026
The result is a looming structural deficit that will lead to higher prices, greater reliance on higher emitting alternatives in some regions, and heightened geopolitical risk for importing nations.
—
David Blackmon,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for heighten
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Liana Handler
follow,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2026
Adult males go through musth, a periodic condition that heightens their aggression.
—
ABC News,
3 July 2026
However, advocates argued that Musk’s changes to X have only raised additional concerns about the platform’s data handling that should heighten the FTC’s monitoring and are not a cause to terminate it.
—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
2 July 2026
The result is a looming structural deficit that will lead to higher prices, greater reliance on higher emitting alternatives in some regions, and heightened geopolitical risk for importing nations.
—
David Blackmon,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for heighten
Cite this Entry
“Heighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heighten. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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