as in sharp
having an edge thin enough to cut or pierce something
the sharpened blade of a lawn mower
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Recent Examples of sharpened
Andy Mitten, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
And as each individual signal was beginning to get lost in the noise, the volume began rising and the claims sharpened.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Working alongside someone with decades in the industry has sharpened Abdul-Mateen’s perspective.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 27 Jan. 2026
While that duality has tested Lynch in new ways, her unflappable confidence — now sharpened by a calculating, heel-leaning persona — has only elevated her swagger.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 26 Jan. 2026
Lam’s expansion of the state security apparatus with broader police authority over legislation and businesses also has sharpened a long-running rivalry with the military, which controls extensive commercial interests, analysts said.
—Aniruddha Ghosal, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The Cold War era sharpened the same approach but made it about identity.
—Stephanie A, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2026
At this Sunday’s market, people were able to get their knives sharpened by vendor Get Sharp, and will be able to do so at market dates only through February.
—Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
The phages developed mutations that sharpened their ability to latch onto and infect bacterial cells.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 13 Jan. 2026
Verb
His former manager at Leicester, Brendan Rodgers, is now coaching in Saudi Arabia — not that the lad sharpened by a steely upbringing near Sheffield is an obvious fit to finish his career too far from home.
—Andy Mitten, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
And as each individual signal was beginning to get lost in the noise, the volume began rising and the claims sharpened.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Working alongside someone with decades in the industry has sharpened Abdul-Mateen’s perspective.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 27 Jan. 2026
While that duality has tested Lynch in new ways, her unflappable confidence — now sharpened by a calculating, heel-leaning persona — has only elevated her swagger.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 26 Jan. 2026
Lam’s expansion of the state security apparatus with broader police authority over legislation and businesses also has sharpened a long-running rivalry with the military, which controls extensive commercial interests, analysts said.
—Aniruddha Ghosal, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The Cold War era sharpened the same approach but made it about identity.
—Stephanie A, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2026
At this Sunday’s market, people were able to get their knives sharpened by vendor Get Sharp, and will be able to do so at market dates only through February.
—Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
The phages developed mutations that sharpened their ability to latch onto and infect bacterial cells.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sharpened
Adjective
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The numbers mark a sharp reversal from a spike in violence during the worst years of the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
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The blazer of Middleton’s look included sharp shoulders with sinuous lapels and angular pockets at the waist.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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These Milanese arrivals edged Hermès, where Véronique Nichanian presented her final collection after 37 years, down to 7th in the list.—
Luke Leitch,
Vogue,
28 Jan. 2026
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Although interest rates on new-car loans have edged lower, buyers are borrowing larger amounts — the average amount financed for a new car recently reached an all-time high, according to Edmunds.—
Jessica Dickler,
CNBC,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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On Thwaites itself, part of the team will try today to drop a fiber-optic cable through a 3,200-foot borehole in the ice, near the glacier’s grounding line, where the ocean is eating away at it from below.—
Christian Elliott,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
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The retreat from clear and scientifically grounded guidelines will harm individuals’ health and our collective wellbeing.—
Paul Gilbert,
Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The claim was filed in November in a UK High Court dealing with commercial issues by Libyan Foreign Bank, a unit of the Central Bank of Libya known as LFB, over loans taken out against a 2001 credit facility that Zimbabwe has allegedly failed to honor, court documents show.—
William Clowes,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
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Bondi and Blanche filed a response arguing that Massie and Khanna do not have a legal basis for the request.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Similarly, George Crumb’s 1970 Black Angels, composed in response to the Vietnam War, includes jagged marks that approximate the sound of helicopters.—
Olivia Giovetti,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Giles Deacon blue and green jagged stripe) as a base option.—
Stephanie Sporn,
Vogue,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sharpened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sharpened. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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