heightened; heightening
ˈhī-tᵊn-iŋ 
ˈhīt-niŋ
1
a
: to increase the amount or degree of : augment
heighten interest in the book
heighten tensions in the region
b
: to make brighter or more intense : deepen
… slowly rubbing the gold piece … as if to heighten its lustre …—
Herman Melville
Herman Melville
c
: to bring out more strongly : point up
… uses the camera to punctuate and heighten the story.—Stacey Bell
Stacey Bell
d
: to make more acute : sharpen
heighten the contrast on a monitor
2
a
: to raise high or higher : elevate
b
: to raise above the ordinary or trite
heightened prose
3
obsolete
: elate
2
a
: to become great or greater in amount, degree, or extent
b
: to become brighter or more intense
Examples of heighten in a Sentence
The plan will only heighten tensions between the two groups.
This tragedy has heightened our awareness of the need for improved safety measures.
Tensions between the two groups have heightened.
Recent Examples on the Web
Everything in this screen world is heightened, slightly off-kilter, but entirely plausible (with the exception being Ruby’s wretched body, still burning after all these years).
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 15 May 2026
To heighten this risk even further, more than half of employees admit to integrating AI tools with other work systems using APIs, without IT department approval or oversight.
—Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
But, the emotion was heightened by watching his bond with the late Paul Walker form on the big screen.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 14 May 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for heighten
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.
Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 15 May 2026
To heighten this risk even further, more than half of employees admit to integrating AI tools with other work systems using APIs, without IT department approval or oversight.
—Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
But, the emotion was heightened by watching his bond with the late Paul Walker form on the big screen.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 14 May 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for heighten
Cite this Entry
“Heighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heighten. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
