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
Scott agreed that their use could, in fact, heighten risk of injury — which is exactly what happened with Bogle last season at Crewe.
—Tom Burrows, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The significance of last weekend’s victory is heightened when considering what unfolded elsewhere in London earlier that day.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
That was heightened when his brother, Erik Frank, died by suicide in 2001 at age 29.
—Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Minneapolis, home to mega corporations like Target, UnitedHealth and 3M, has become the testing ground for when and how far corporate leaders will wade into escalating political tensions, heightened by a president who pushes the bounds of state power.
—Hugh Son,melissa Repko, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heighten
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Tom Burrows, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The significance of last weekend’s victory is heightened when considering what unfolded elsewhere in London earlier that day.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
That was heightened when his brother, Erik Frank, died by suicide in 2001 at age 29.
—Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Minneapolis, home to mega corporations like Target, UnitedHealth and 3M, has become the testing ground for when and how far corporate leaders will wade into escalating political tensions, heightened by a president who pushes the bounds of state power.
—Hugh Son,melissa Repko, CNBC, 29 Jan. 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 2 Feb. 2026.
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