heighten

Verb
US[hahy-tuhn]/ˈhaɪtən/2 syllables
Synonyms: riseenhanceraisesharpenintensifycompounddeepen

Open English WordNet

Verb (6)heightened, heightening

  1. become more extreme“The tension heightened”Synonyms: riseMore general increase
  2. make more extreme; raise in quantity, degree, or intensity“heightened interest”More general increase
  3. increase the level of“This will enhance your enjoyment”“heighten the tension”Synonyms: enhanceraiseMore general intensify, compoundMore specific potentiate, overclock, reflate
  4. increase the height of“The athletes kept jumping over the steadily heightened bars”More general raise, lift
  5. make (one's senses) more acute“This drug will sharpen your vision”Synonyms: sharpenMore general intensify, compoundMore specific subtilize, subtilise
  6. make more intense, stronger, or more marked“The efforts were intensified”“Her rudeness intensified his dislike for her”“Pot smokers claim it heightens their awareness”“This event only deepened my convictions”Synonyms: intensifycompounddeepenMore general increaseMore specific enhance, fan, sharpen, heat up, amplifyCauses intensify, deepen
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benevolentadjective

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Height′en (hīt′'n), transitive verb [Written also highten.] [past tense & past participle Heightened (#); present participle & verbal noun Heightening.]

1. To make high; to raise higher; to elevate.

2. To carry forward; to advance; to increase; to augment; to aggravate; to intensify; to render more conspicuous; — used of things, good or bad; as, to heighten beauty; to heighten a flavor or a tint. “To heighten our confusion.” Joseph Addison

An aspect of mystery which was easily heightened to the miraculous.— Nathaniel Hawthorne

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

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