HEIGHTEN Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

heighten

verb

ˈhī-tᵊn

Definition of heighten

as in to intensify

to make markedly greater in measure or degree several controversial measures have heightened parental awareness of the impact of school policy decisions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to lift

to move from a lower to a higher place or position heightened the hem on her skirt just a couple of inches

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of heighten That friction leads to some tense and funny and hugely uncomfortable moments, heightened by the pore-probing close-ups the film employs. — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026 In You Can See Everything, glimpses of crewmembers and equipment serve to heighten the immediacy. — Alex Barasch, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026 The urgency is heightened because of the fundamental right to vote and to have one's lawful vote counted without dilution. — Miles Parks, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026 The White House decision has heightened fears that Ukraine could be left exposed to Moscow's escalating attacks as winter approaches. — Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for heighten

Recent Examples of Synonyms for heighten

Verb

Russia has also intensified attacks on Ukraine's transport infrastructure, including road border crossings, railways and shipping routes, Derkach said.

— Elsa Ohlen,Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026
Support for separation intensified among some Albertans following COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccine mandates.

— Sheena Rossiter, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of intensify

Verb

According to the team, the coordination is important because pushing or lifting an object changes the forces acting on a humanoid’s body.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
What everyday movements reveal Standing from a chair requires a stable base, enough ankle and hip mobility to shift your weight forward, lower body and core strength to lift yourself, and balance to keep you steady.

— Dana Santas, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of lift

Verb

Throughout history, some were commissioned to enhance the interiors with their signature flair while others bartered their artwork for breaks on daily rates and others simply just thrived off the scene.

— Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
Each picture mode offers essentially the same rich set of options, except for AI-enhanced, which locks you out of some settings (including local contrast and color tuner), presumably because the AI logic is handling those.

— M. David Stone, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of enhance

Verb

That production is the wrinkle that elevates Seventhirty’s lyrics from modern dating podcast material to pure melodrama.

— Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
The guides elevate the safari experience by representing different places and people of Namibia, from the coastal cities of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay to the Himba in the far north-west and the Khwe Bushmen of the north-east.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of elevate

Verb

But North Korea’s deepening military ties with Russia since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine have led analysts to question whether Pyongyang is becoming less reliant on Beijing.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Residents of the southern Ukrainian ⁠town, occupied by Russian forces since February 2022, have reported a deepening food crisis.

— Reuters, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of deepen

Verb

Japan has also raised concern over China's gradual escalation of its military activity around remote Japanese islands in the Pacific Ocean.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
Still, Converse’s sales hemorrhage raises fair questions about whether this is more than a cyclical decline.

— Phil Wahba, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of raise

Verb

The goal is to strengthen leadership skills and explore key topics, including entrepreneurship, innovation, change management, communication and self-promotion.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026
Low pressure strengthening off the Carolina coast will gradually move northward, while high pressure remains anchored to our north.

— Grant Gilmore, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of strengthen

Verb

Suzie Schneider Sequim, Washington The Christian Science Monitor was founded in 1908 to lift the standard of journalism and uplift humanity.

— Monitor Reader, Christian Science Monitor, 22 Oct. 2026
Siddiq puts out multiple specials a year on YouTube, to millions of views, while helping to uplift up-and-coming comics as an executive producer and distributor for their specials.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of uplift

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height

heighten

heightened

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Style

“Heighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heighten. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of heighten

verb

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