as in strengthening
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in intensifying
to make markedly greater in measure or degree
several controversial measures have heightened parental awareness of the impact of school policy decisions
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lifting
to move from a lower to a higher place or position
heightened the hem on her skirt just a couple of inches
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of heightening
James Grebey, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
Lighting designer Esquire Jauchem softens and brightens above and around the ever-moving Rubinstein as topics and memories call for the heightening and muting of the president’s feelings and emotions.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026
Just a day later, Neptune retrograde shifts into Pisces, heightening intuition and deepening emotional awareness with entirely new depth.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Hotel rooms remain available, as do tickets to most games, heightening fans’ frustrations.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 12 May 2026
Unlike most forms of hantavirus, which spread from rodents to humans, Andes is the only strain that is able to transmit from person to person, heightening fears about how outbreaks could unfold under the right conditions.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
Days later, when asked about the situation by reporters, Embiid would call Morey out by name, heightening tensions.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Allies of Philippines’ Vice President Sara Duterte took control of the Senate on Monday, potentially giving them sway over her upcoming impeachment trial and heightening political uncertainty in the country.
—Andreo Calonzo, Bloomberg, 11 May 2026
That means their savings will be eroded over time, heightening the risk of running out of money in retirement.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 8 May 2026
When used correctly, that power can be harnessed for good, heightening the citrus fruit’s bright, piercing notes to soaring new heights.
—Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 May 2026
Meanwhile, his ex-wife—played by Field—becomes increasingly self-reliant, heightening the strain between them.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
It all sticks — every Dutch angle, inventively silly camera placement, and enthusiastic heightening of high-noon suspense.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
Lighting designer Esquire Jauchem softens and brightens above and around the ever-moving Rubinstein as topics and memories call for the heightening and muting of the president’s feelings and emotions.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026
Just a day later, Neptune retrograde shifts into Pisces, heightening intuition and deepening emotional awareness with entirely new depth.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
The likelihood of a potentially powerful El Niño taking shape in the Pacific Ocean is rising, heightening concerns that Southern California could be in for an extreme rainy season.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Hotel rooms remain available, as do tickets to most games, heightening fans’ frustrations.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 12 May 2026
Unlike most forms of hantavirus, which spread from rodents to humans, Andes is the only strain that is able to transmit from person to person, heightening fears about how outbreaks could unfold under the right conditions.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
Days later, when asked about the situation by reporters, Embiid would call Morey out by name, heightening tensions.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Allies of Philippines’ Vice President Sara Duterte took control of the Senate on Monday, potentially giving them sway over her upcoming impeachment trial and heightening political uncertainty in the country.
—Andreo Calonzo, Bloomberg, 11 May 2026
That means their savings will be eroded over time, heightening the risk of running out of money in retirement.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 8 May 2026
When used correctly, that power can be harnessed for good, heightening the citrus fruit’s bright, piercing notes to soaring new heights.
—Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 May 2026
Meanwhile, his ex-wife—played by Field—becomes increasingly self-reliant, heightening the strain between them.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heightening
Noun
-
But those key areas do need strengthening, especially with Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers likely to be strong next season, along with whoever else drops out of the Premier League.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
3 May 2026
-
The initiative will also support developing countries through outreach such as training, advisory services and institutional strengthening.—
Jennifer Bringle,
Footwear News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The funding round came amid intensifying competition from major players like Microsoft and Amazon, as well as a wave of AI-native startups including fellow 2026 Disruptor Perplexity.—
Michelle Castillo,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
-
There’s concern that the amount of water needed to cool Stratos facilities could further drain the Great Salt Lake, intensifying exposure to toxic sediments in the rapidly shrinking watershed.—
Mary Jane Gibson,
Rolling Stone,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
No doubt the bill of materials will be lower on this twelve-month-old design, lifting the margins on what will remain the current vanilla handset.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
Appropriately, 19 miles east of their first major trophy lift since the 2021/22 League Cup, City men busied themselves by lifting the FA Cup over Chelsea in what was Pep Guardiola’s 24th visit to Wembley Stadium and his 20th major trophies as City manager.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Looking ahead, the biggest growth drivers for Cisco will likely be hyperscaler AI build-outs and enterprise artificial intelligence networking upgrades, in addition to campus modernization as requirements for traffic, security, and latency increase, according to HSBC.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
15 May 2026
-
School nutrition directors say that the increases are not enough and Congress needs to rethink the reimbursement formula as meal program costs rise.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The operator of the third-busiest cargo port in the United States has agreed to invest $8 million or more for a feasibility study into deepening and widening the 33-mile-long shipping channel.—
Adam Van Brimmer,
AJC.com,
19 May 2026
-
In a stunning rebuke, the Board of Governors rejected his appointment, forcing UF to restart the search and deepening concerns among faculty and alumni that ideological alignment now outweighs academic credentials in Florida university leadership.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The governing body said the show would support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which is raising $100 million to help children access education and soccer.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
-
Israel’s national security minister inflamed the situation with a provocative visit to the contested Al Aqsa Mosque compound, raising concerns about Jerusalem’s status in the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
As part of that package, Republicans included $1 billion for White House security enhancements, part of it connected to Trump’s ballroom.—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
The platform is built on large language model infrastructure and adapted for legal workflows through integrations, prompt engineering, and domain-specific enhancements.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Also, as a luxury boutique camp with astronomical price points, supplying a bedroom robe would’ve been a great, comfort-enhancing touch.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 May 2026
-
The company also is enhancing its loyalty program with new subscription services.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heightening. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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