as in to lighten
to become glad or hopeful
the glum soccer player started to brighten upon being told that his injury would not jeopardize his career
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Recent Examples of brighten
The wood-look bird stands 6 inches high, dims and brightens with just a touch, and can run for a whole week on its dimmest setting.
—
Miles Walls, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Apr. 2025
The Sam’s Club version of this spectacular cake would still lend itself well to Ina’s restaurant-worthy serving trick, which brightens the coconut with raspberry.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 31 Mar. 2025
Each bedroom has windows to receive plenty of natural light and brighten the space.
—Katrina Cossey, Parents, 28 Mar. 2025
One of the shades is for your typical correcting, while the other is for brightening around your eyes.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brighten
Miles Walls, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Apr. 2025
The Sam’s Club version of this spectacular cake would still lend itself well to Ina’s restaurant-worthy serving trick, which brightens the coconut with raspberry.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 31 Mar. 2025
Each bedroom has windows to receive plenty of natural light and brighten the space.
—Katrina Cossey, Parents, 28 Mar. 2025
One of the shades is for your typical correcting, while the other is for brightening around your eyes.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brighten
Verb
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Luggage storage services offer a way to lighten your load, and to protect your valuables with security guarantees.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
12 Apr. 2025
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British royals expert Hilary Fordwich stressed to Fox News Digital that William’s intention is to help lighten his father’s workload as the monarch continues his treatments while taking on duties at the same time.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Over 12,000 glowing Amazon ratings back up the hype.—
Becca Blond,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Apr. 2025
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The episode follows Maria (Siena Kelly), a food researcher whose latest project receives a glowing review from a focus group subject named Verity (Rosy McEwen), one of Maria's ex-classmates who was relentlessly bullied in school.—
Joey Nolfi,
EW.com,
12 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The move is part of a broader push to revive domestic manufacturing and address what Trump sees as unfair trade practices.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2025
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Long before Ford finally revived the Bronco and put it on the road in 2021, Wraith and his team created a metallic silver Bronco concept in 2004 with some nods to the original, including the word Bronco on the front grille.—
Jamie L. LaReau,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brighten. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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