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
The contradictions have heightened judicial scrutiny.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
Just as Instagram is a key tool among independent nail technicians to book clientele, the same goes for independent curly hairstylists, though waitlists can often grow long due to heightening demand for specialized services.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 21 Nov. 2025
The report said that children were not given sufficient priority, as ministers did not fully account for the consequences of closing school and that overall, lockdown caused lasting societal harm and heightened existing inequalities.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 20 Nov. 2025
The consequences are heightened for groups that serve rural communities and people of color, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analysis of the financial records of affected organizations and interviews with nonprofit leaders.
—Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heighten
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Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
Just as Instagram is a key tool among independent nail technicians to book clientele, the same goes for independent curly hairstylists, though waitlists can often grow long due to heightening demand for specialized services.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 21 Nov. 2025
The report said that children were not given sufficient priority, as ministers did not fully account for the consequences of closing school and that overall, lockdown caused lasting societal harm and heightened existing inequalities.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 20 Nov. 2025
The consequences are heightened for groups that serve rural communities and people of color, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analysis of the financial records of affected organizations and interviews with nonprofit leaders.
—Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 18 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 25 Nov. 2025.
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