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 proximity of Skochilenko and her accuser heightens the film’s sense of tragedy, the almost accidental way that lives collide and shatter—a phenomenon that can happen with terrifying ease in wartime Russia.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025
Your emotions are also heightened at this time.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
To do so in such a strictly religious environment heightens every feeling, the churning mass of erotic charge that Djukić embodies in sanctified imagery throughout.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 4 Dec. 2025
Sdi Productions | Istock | Getty Images On the heels of the longest-ever federal government shutdown, shifting tariff policies and heightened stock market volatility, many Americans are worried about what political uncertainty may cost them.
—Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heighten
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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The New Yorker, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025
Your emotions are also heightened at this time.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
To do so in such a strictly religious environment heightens every feeling, the churning mass of erotic charge that Djukić embodies in sanctified imagery throughout.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 4 Dec. 2025
Sdi Productions | Istock | Getty Images On the heels of the longest-ever federal government shutdown, shifting tariff policies and heightened stock market volatility, many Americans are worried about what political uncertainty may cost them.
—Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 4 Dec. 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 7 Dec. 2025.
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