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
Concerns about the team's safety in Iran heightened when the players didn't sing the Iranian national anthem before their first match.
—CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026
Fouad Berry, a board member at the Islamic Institute of Knowledge in Dearborn, Michigan, said that the community center and mosque is heightening security because of the war.
—Amaarah Decuir, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
While carrying the title of defending champions can heighten pressure, it’s done the opposite for the 2025-26 Huskies.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2026
This time around — with concerns heightened not only because of a war with Iran, but also a recent shooting at a university in Virginia and an attack on a synagogue in Michigan — security is going to be even more ironclad, authorities said.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heighten
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CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026
Fouad Berry, a board member at the Islamic Institute of Knowledge in Dearborn, Michigan, said that the community center and mosque is heightening security because of the war.
—Amaarah Decuir, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
While carrying the title of defending champions can heighten pressure, it’s done the opposite for the 2025-26 Huskies.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2026
This time around — with concerns heightened not only because of a war with Iran, but also a recent shooting at a university in Virginia and an attack on a synagogue in Michigan — security is going to be even more ironclad, authorities said.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 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 15 Mar. 2026.
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