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
Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
As the Beatles began to splinter, Spitz writes, the Stones sharpened their focus.
—Marc Ballon, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Ironically, recent instability in Iran and the greater Middle East should have sharpened the urgency of this issue, not pushed it to the margins.
—Dan Romito, The Washington Examiner, 19 Apr. 2026
His resume has only sharpened in recent seasons.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 17 Apr. 2026
And Burrell last week told her three words that sharpened her mental approach.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
This is not the first time Cruz has criticized Carlson, as the conservative pundit has sharpened his criticism of Trump since the Iran war started.
—Sarah Davis, The Hill, 15 Apr. 2026
In a letter sent on Monday to the Paramount mogul, Booker had sharpened his words toward the executive in an effort to get Ellison to testify.
—Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2026
Under his leadership, Dow sharpened its focus on higher-value materials markets tied to packaging, infrastructure, and consumer applications.
—Ruth Umoh, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
The campaign that year felt predictable — Obama was favored to win — but the political climate was sharpened by the Tea Party, a conservative grassroots movement within the Republican Party that sought to repeal Obamacare.
—Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
As the Beatles began to splinter, Spitz writes, the Stones sharpened their focus.
—Marc Ballon, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Ironically, recent instability in Iran and the greater Middle East should have sharpened the urgency of this issue, not pushed it to the margins.
—Dan Romito, The Washington Examiner, 19 Apr. 2026
His resume has only sharpened in recent seasons.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 17 Apr. 2026
And Burrell last week told her three words that sharpened her mental approach.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
This is not the first time Cruz has criticized Carlson, as the conservative pundit has sharpened his criticism of Trump since the Iran war started.
—Sarah Davis, The Hill, 15 Apr. 2026
In a letter sent on Monday to the Paramount mogul, Booker had sharpened his words toward the executive in an effort to get Ellison to testify.
—Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2026
Under his leadership, Dow sharpened its focus on higher-value materials markets tied to packaging, infrastructure, and consumer applications.
—Ruth Umoh, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sharpened
Adjective
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That level of support marks a sharp escalation from previous efforts.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Apr. 2026
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Kirby said that an impromptu office nap is his trick to staying sharp over his decades-long career in business.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Stocks edged lower from record highs after oil jumped 5% into the high $80s, driven by uncertainty over commercial ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,Morgan Chittum,Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
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In a nonleague matchup, Brody Bumila drove in three runs as Bishop Feehan edged Mansfield 6-5 in 11 innings.—
Tyler McManus,
Boston Herald,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That mix of nature and physical movement kept me grounded.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The Brewers eventually loaded the bases with two outs before Ortiz grounded out to the mound to end it.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Cops have no control over false complaints being filed against him, the lawsuit states.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
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Court documents reveal new details Court documents filed late last week provide some new insight into the case, as well as into Mendoza Hernandez’s background.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Victor Glover described peering at the long shadows of the lunar terminator through a telephoto lens and suddenly feeling transported down to that airless, forbidding landscape and imagining himself off-road driving among jagged peaks.—
Andrew Chaikin,
Space.com,
16 Apr. 2026
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McMau maintains a level of jagged authenticity that implies there might well be a threat around every corner for both of his characters.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sharpened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sharpened. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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