as in illuminated
filled with much light
the brightened room is now a much more cheerful place for the recuperating patients
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Stained and seasoned with curry powder, the chickpea salad’s bold flavor is brightened with fresh herbs, scallions and a splash of vinegar.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
Finn was a sweet soul, who brightened all of our lives.
—Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Or tender, juicy mojo pork marinated with savory cumin and cilantro, and brightened with zesty lime and orange juices.
—Martie Bowser, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
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
Verb
Discovered in January, the green comet has brightened faster than predicted in recent weeks and now looks set to be visible from dark rural skies during October 2025.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Stained and seasoned with curry powder, the chickpea salad’s bold flavor is brightened with fresh herbs, scallions and a splash of vinegar.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
Finn was a sweet soul, who brightened all of our lives.
—Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Or tender, juicy mojo pork marinated with savory cumin and cilantro, and brightened with zesty lime and orange juices.
—Martie Bowser, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brightened
Adjective
-
At the heart of the park is another immersive extravaganza as footage of seascapes and schools of fish swirls dizzyingly around one of the world’s biggest wraparound screens whilst drones which look like illuminated jellyfish fill the air.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
LEDs replace chrome, and there's a new take on BMW's usual four headlights, although the illuminated kidney grill is an option, not mandatory.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
5 Sep. 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 music thumped away, though at reduced volume, the bats performed their acrobatics over the pool, the hash pipe glowed, people began to yawn.—
T. Coraghessan Boyle,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Some cells glowed brightly due to high activity, others dimmed with weaker expression, while some switched off entirely.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
For the iPhone Air, Apple has revived its edge-to-edge bumper cases with a transparent back.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
11 Sep. 2025
-
By 2020, the project had been revived and reimagined as a standalone reboot rather than a Legacy sequel, although the main AI, Ares, appeared in earlier (pre-reboot) versions of the script.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This week, a crescent moon will join, shining close to Jupiter before featuring in a rare close conjunction with Venus and bright star Regulus.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Even a half block away, the air smells sweet and bright, like seared shellfish, sharp vinegar, and the blistery green of sizzling herbs.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Earlier this week, transit officials in North Carolina released a graphic video showing the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Zarutska on a light rail train.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
By removing color, the focus shifts to texture, light, gesture, and gaze — emphasizing the nuances of connection and the multiplicity of what love can look like beyond normative, romanticized ideals.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brightened. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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