as in illuminated
filled with much light
the brightened room is now a much more cheerful place for the recuperating patients
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in lightened
to become glad or hopeful
the glum soccer player started to brighten upon being told that his injury would not jeopardize his career
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brightened
Saveur Editors, Saveur, 4 Sep. 2025
There’s much, much more to the culture, of course, and there are positive and negative associations with ultras around Germany and beyond, but this was another occasion brightened by their work.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025
Each of them offers money and position but nothing much in the way of pleasure, excitement, intellectual stimulation, or the prospect of anything other than a life of loveless, socially irreproachable tedium possibly brightened by the occasional extramarital affair.
—Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
Granted, the tone of the Turtles’ adventures had been brightened up considerably from the comics, but kids ate it up.
—Will Harris, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Grealish arrived and the picture immediately brightened.
—Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Webb’s data revealed an object, named NIR-1, which could be a massive star or a red giant — a sun-like star at the end of its life that has brightened significantly.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2025
Many remarked on how eagerly the dachshund duo ran to meet each other, while others shared how much the clip brightened their day.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025
Hollis brightened the beige-on-beige hallway entrance to her apartment by hanging a wreath of flowers on her brown door.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025
Verb
Chorizo, shrimp, clams, and corn soak in a rich beer-and-butter broth, brightened with lemon and parsley to deliver all the flavor of a hands-on boil without the mess.
—Saveur Editors, Saveur, 4 Sep. 2025
There’s much, much more to the culture, of course, and there are positive and negative associations with ultras around Germany and beyond, but this was another occasion brightened by their work.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025
Each of them offers money and position but nothing much in the way of pleasure, excitement, intellectual stimulation, or the prospect of anything other than a life of loveless, socially irreproachable tedium possibly brightened by the occasional extramarital affair.
—Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
Granted, the tone of the Turtles’ adventures had been brightened up considerably from the comics, but kids ate it up.
—Will Harris, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Grealish arrived and the picture immediately brightened.
—Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Webb’s data revealed an object, named NIR-1, which could be a massive star or a red giant — a sun-like star at the end of its life that has brightened significantly.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2025
Many remarked on how eagerly the dachshund duo ran to meet each other, while others shared how much the clip brightened their day.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025
Hollis brightened the beige-on-beige hallway entrance to her apartment by hanging a wreath of flowers on her brown door.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brightened
Adjective
-
Instead, the pool surface during the program was mirror calm and dotted with several illuminated floating flowers.—
Karie Angell Luc,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Aug. 2025
-
For example, several centuries-old Qurans and illuminated religious texts from Ethiopia were displayed at museums in Baltimore, then Salem, Massachusetts, followed by Toledo, Ohio, in 2023 and 2024.—
Russ Wiles,
AZCentral.com,
23 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Vehicle dynamics have been optimized with stiffer, single-rate Multimatic shock absorbers, springs lightened by 35% and a roll gradient reduced by 10%, improving body control and aerodynamic efficiency.—
Mark Ewing,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Decades later, when pollution let up, their wings lightened again.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The scientists were also able to create modified phosphors that glowed in colors like green, red, and blue.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
28 Aug. 2025
-
The wristbands on every concert attendees' wrist glowed bright red and the crowd roared.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Alaska recently revived the flight as a daily route after hitting pause on it last summer.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
3 Sep. 2025
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But this is about the consequence, not the fault, and why their series being revived this week is so anticipated and welcome.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The Pixel’s Magic Editor leverages generative AI tools, which can remove objects in the background, alter lighting, and realistically change the entire mood of a phone (a bright middary sun can easily be compensated for).—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Academy graduate Charlie Tasker is a bright prospect.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Asset-light new entrants like On The Beach, offering the protections of traditional package holiday providers while not owning any hotels or aircraft, have become big players.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
-
While the chain’s appeal included some modifications, such as a revised landscaping plan to help with light concerns, changes to traffic plans for the site were not offered.—
Rose Evans
September 10,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brightened. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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