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
Luna also trines Mercury, further heightening our communication skills.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 4 Apr. 2026
The incident comes after a string of similar nighttime attacks in Belgium, Britain and the Netherlands that have heightened concerns over antisemitism in the wake of the war in the Middle East.
—CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026
The change — included in contract revisions the City Commission approved in February — is the latest example of the city bending on its requirements to move the project forward as the anticipation around the stadium heightened.
—Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Americans immediately saw an increase in prices at the pump; businesses watched transportation costs skip higher; and fears have heightened that the war’s fallout could quickly metastasize throughout the economy.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heighten
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Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 4 Apr. 2026
The incident comes after a string of similar nighttime attacks in Belgium, Britain and the Netherlands that have heightened concerns over antisemitism in the wake of the war in the Middle East.
—CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026
The change — included in contract revisions the City Commission approved in February — is the latest example of the city bending on its requirements to move the project forward as the anticipation around the stadium heightened.
—Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Americans immediately saw an increase in prices at the pump; businesses watched transportation costs skip higher; and fears have heightened that the war’s fallout could quickly metastasize throughout the economy.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 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 Apr. 2026.
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