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
Classic Chillapeak Genuine Shearling Trimmed Boot These Ugg platform boots will both physically and metaphorically heighten your shoe game.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 7 Nov. 2025
Urinary tract abnormalities such as blockages or reflux (backflow of urine toward the kidneys) and the use of urinary catheters also heighten infection risk.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
The emphasis on a candidate's identity was particularly heightened in this race -- something that has been embraced by Mamdani's campaign and supporters, but attacked by his opponents.
—Emily Chang, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025
Fear of repercussions – arrest, violence, loss of housing and employment, and blackmail – further heighten fear of health care settings.
—Robin Lin Miller, The Conversation, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heighten
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Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 7 Nov. 2025
Urinary tract abnormalities such as blockages or reflux (backflow of urine toward the kidneys) and the use of urinary catheters also heighten infection risk.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
The emphasis on a candidate's identity was particularly heightened in this race -- something that has been embraced by Mamdani's campaign and supporters, but attacked by his opponents.
—Emily Chang, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025
Fear of repercussions – arrest, violence, loss of housing and employment, and blackmail – further heighten fear of health care settings.
—Robin Lin Miller, The Conversation, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heighten
Cite this Entry
“Heighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heighten. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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