as in to lighten
to become glad or hopeful
the glum soccer player started to brighten upon being told that his injury would not jeopardize his career
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Recent Examples of brighten
This will help the aurora’s colors maintain a lush appearance without brightening the black sky.
—
Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 10 Feb. 2026
Looking to brighten up your hair in a way that feels warm and sunny for spring?
—Bella Cacciatore, Glamour, 10 Feb. 2026
It’s formulated with mulberry and licorice root extract to brighten the skin, and glycerin to keep it supple and moisturized.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2026
The Olay Super Eye Serum brightens dark circles and firms the under-eye area, and it’s packed with nourishing ingredients like vitamin C, niacinamide, and amino peptide.
—Claire West, InStyle, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brighten
Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 10 Feb. 2026
Looking to brighten up your hair in a way that feels warm and sunny for spring?
—Bella Cacciatore, Glamour, 10 Feb. 2026
It’s formulated with mulberry and licorice root extract to brighten the skin, and glycerin to keep it supple and moisturized.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2026
The Olay Super Eye Serum brightens dark circles and firms the under-eye area, and it’s packed with nourishing ingredients like vitamin C, niacinamide, and amino peptide.
—Claire West, InStyle, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brighten
Verb
-
Kolb says the Fall/Winter 2026 schedule changed to lighten the load on the Monday holiday, without such a long break between the New York and London shows, which organizers trialled last year.—
Hilary Milnes,
Vogue,
10 Feb. 2026
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Or using that seniority to lighten the mood, like with his point system for the offensive line room.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That leads to high temperatures, which create a glowing protostar due to the rapid (kinetic) motion of the internal gas particles, and eventually, after a few tens of millions of years, the core temperatures rise high enough (above 4 million K or so) that nuclear fusion of hydrogen begins.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Feb. 2026
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Now imagine the same with some of those teary eyes angled down toward glowing screens, while others frame the bride with their phones.—
Nikita Khanna,
Vogue,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Additionally, North Wilkesboro Speedway — once literally in ruins — was revived in 2023 for NASCAR’s All-Star Race, and this summer will host its first official Cup Series points race since 1996.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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The latest earnings reports from major technology companies have revived investors’ concerns about payoffs on elevated artificial intelligence (AI) spending.—
TipRanks,
CNBC,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brighten. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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