heighten

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Related to heighten: intensify, invidious, hyphen, hallowed, captivating

height·en

(hīt′n)

v. height·ened, height·en·ing, height·ens

v.tr.

1. To raise or increase the quantity or degree of; intensify.

2. To make high or higher; raise.

v.intr.

1. To rise or increase in quantity or degree; intensify.

2. To become high or higher; rise.

height′en·er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

heighten

(ˈhaɪtən)

1. to make or become high or higher

2. to make or become more extreme or intense

ˈheightened adj

ˈheightener n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

height•en

(ˈhaɪt n)

v.t.

1. to increase the degree or amount of; augment.

2. to strengthen, deepen, or intensify: to heighten one's awareness.

3. to increase the height of; make higher.

4. to bring out the important features of, as in a drawing.

v.i.

5. to increase: The tension heightened.

6. to become brighter or more intense.

[1515–25]

height′en•er, n.

syn: See elevate.

heighten

Past participle: heightened
Gerund: heightening

Imperative
heighten
heighten

Present
I heighten
you heighten
he/she/it heightens
we heighten
you heighten
they heighten

Preterite
I heightened
you heightened
he/she/it heightened
we heightened
you heightened
they heightened

Present Continuous
I am heightening
you are heightening
he/she/it is heightening
we are heightening
you are heightening
they are heightening

Present Perfect
I have heightened
you have heightened
he/she/it has heightened
we have heightened
you have heightened
they have heightened

Past Continuous
I was heightening
you were heightening
he/she/it was heightening
we were heightening
you were heightening
they were heightening

Past Perfect
I had heightened
you had heightened
he/she/it had heightened
we had heightened
you had heightened
they had heightened

Future
I will heighten
you will heighten
he/she/it will heighten
we will heighten
you will heighten
they will heighten

Future Perfect
I will have heightened
you will have heightened
he/she/it will have heightened
we will have heightened
you will have heightened
they will have heightened

Future Continuous
I will be heightening
you will be heightening
he/she/it will be heightening
we will be heightening
you will be heightening
they will be heightening

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been heightening
you have been heightening
he/she/it has been heightening
we have been heightening
you have been heightening
they have been heightening

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been heightening
you will have been heightening
he/she/it will have been heightening
we will have been heightening
you will have been heightening
they will have been heightening

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been heightening
you had been heightening
he/she/it had been heightening
we had been heightening
you had been heightening
they had been heightening

Conditional
I would heighten
you would heighten
he/she/it would heighten
we would heighten
you would heighten
they would heighten

Past Conditional
I would have heightened
you would have heightened
he/she/it would have heightened
we would have heightened
you would have heightened
they would have heightened

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	heighten - become more extreme; "The tension heightened" rise increase - make bigger or more; "The boss finally increased her salary"; "The university increased the number of students it admitted"
	2.	heighten - make more extreme; raise in quantity, degree, or intensity; "heightened interest" increase - make bigger or more; "The boss finally increased her salary"; "The university increased the number of students it admitted"
	3.	heighten - increase; "This will enhance your enjoyment"; "heighten the tension" enhance, raise compound, deepen, intensify, heighten - 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" potentiate - increase the effect of or act synergistically with (a drug or a physiological or biochemical phenomenon); "potentiate the drug"
	4.	heighten - increase the height of; "The athletes kept jumping over the steadily heightened bars" lift, raise, elevate, get up, bring up - raise from a lower to a higher position; "Raise your hands"; "Lift a load"
	5.	heighten - make (one's senses) more acute; "This drug will sharpen your vision" sharpen compound, deepen, intensify, heighten - 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" subtilise, subtilize - make (senses) more keen
	6.	heighten - 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" compound, deepen, intensify increase - become bigger or greater in amount; "The amount of work increased" screw up, hot up, heat up - make more intense; "Emotions were screwed up" fan - make (an emotion) fiercer; "fan hatred" enhance, heighten, raise - increase; "This will enhance your enjoyment"; "heighten the tension" amplify - increase the volume of; "amplify sound" sharpen - make crisp or more crisp and precise; "We had to sharpen our arguments" heighten, sharpen - make (one's senses) more acute; "This drug will sharpen your vision"

heighten

verb intensify, increase, add to, improve, strengthen, enhance, sharpen, aggravate, magnify, amplify, augment The move has heightened tension in the state.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

heighten

verb

1. To make greater in intensity or severity:

aggravate, deepen, enhance, intensify, redouble.

2. To increase markedly in level or intensity, especially of sound:

amplify, elevate, raise.

Translations

يَرْفَعيَزيد، يَرْفَع

zvýšit

forhøjeøge

erhöhen steigern

aumentar elevar intensificar realzar

aggraver augmenter intensifier

fokozmagasít

aukahækka

accrescere innalzare intensificarsi

forhøye

artmakyüksel mek

加高增加

heighten

[ˈhaɪtn]

A. VT

1. (= increase) → aumentar, acrecentar

2. (= enhance) → realzar, hacer destacar

B. VI (fig) → aumentarse

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

heighten

[ˈhaɪt^ən] vt

(= increase) [+ awareness, tension, concern, interest] → augmenter

[+ blood pressure] → augmenter

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

heighten

vt (= raise) → höherstellen or -machen; (= emphasize) colour etc → hervorheben; (Med) fever → steigen lassen, erhöhen; intensity → steigern; colour, feelings, anger, love, ambition → verstärken; passions, fear, fitness, effect, tension → verstärken, erhöhen; with heightened colour (Brit) or color (US) → mit (hoch)rotem Gesicht; heightened awareness → erhöhte Aufmerksamkeit

vi (fig: = increase) → wachsen, größer or stärker werden

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

heighten

[ˈhaɪtn] vt (raise) → alzare; (increase) → far aumentare; (enhance, effect) → mettere in risalto, accrescere; (experience) → rendere più intenso/a

height

(hӕit) noun

1. the distance from the bottom to the top of something. What is the height of this building?; He is 1.75 metres in height.

2. the highest, greatest, strongest etc point. He is at the height of his career; The storm was at its height.

3. the peak or extreme. dressed in the height of fashion; His actions were the height of folly.

4. a high place. We looked down from the heights at the valley beneath us.

ˈheighten verb

1. to make or become higher. to heighten the garden wall.

2. to increase (an effect etc).

References in classic literature ?

With reflections of this nature she usually, as has been hinted, accompanied every act of compliance with her brother's inclinations; and surely nothing could more contribute to heighten the merit of this compliance than a declaration that she knew, at the same time, the folly and unreasonableness of those inclinations to which she submitted.

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There were certain outline illustrations in it, which were very good in the cold Flaxman manner, and helped largely to heighten the fascination of the poems for me.

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The rush of the water and the booming of the mill bring a dreamy deafness, which seems to heighten the peacefulness of the scene.

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The Emperor of Abyssinia endeavoured by large offers to obtain their liberty, but his kind offices had no other effect than to heighten the rage of the king of Zeila.

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The mouths of all the streams which fall into this lake from the west, are marshy and inconsiderable; but on the east side, there is a beautiful beach, broken, occasionally, by high and isolated bluffs, which advance upon the lake, and heighten the character of the scenery.

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Anxious to show his independence and to advance, he had refused a post that had been offered him, hoping that this refusal would heighten his value; but it turned out that he had been too bold, and he was passed over.

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My dear Mother,--I am very glad to find that my description of Frederica Vernon has interested you, for I do believe her truly deserving of your regard; and when I have communicated a notion which has recently struck me, your kind impressions in her favour will, I am sure, be heightened. I cannot help fancying that she is growing partial to my brother.

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The tinge in his cheeks was heightened by the mellow glow of the sun's rays as they shone through the medium of the rose- coloured curtains of the window, and Charlotte thought she once more beheld the returning colour of health where it had been so long absent.

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Such an effect is best produced when the events come on us by sunrise; and the effect is heightened when, at the same time, they follow as cause and effect.

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Their leader, the famous Endicott, was a man of stern and resolute countenance, the effect of which was heightened by a grizzled beard that swept the upper portion of his breastplate.

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This was strangely heightened at times by the ragged Elijah's diabolical incoherences uninvitedly recurring to me, with a subtle energy I could not have before conceived of.

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But he was now married; and she condemned her heart for the lurking flattery, which so much heightened the pain of the intelligence.