Standard Lemma guide

heighten

verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈhaɪ̯.tən/
  • [ˈhaɪ̯tn̩]
  • [ˈhaɪ̯ʔn̩]
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aɪtən
  • homophone: Huyton
  • CMU ARPABET: HH AY1 T AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To make high; to raise higher; to elevate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To advance, increase, augment, make larger, more intense, stronger etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • to heighten beauty
  • to heighten a flavor or a tint
  • to heighten awareness
  • to heighten tension
  • the excitement heightened
  • “That’s heightened by the impact of climate change,” she added.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

make more intense, stronger, or more marked,

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The efforts were intensified
  • Her rudeness intensified his dislike for her
  • Pot smokers claim it heightens their awareness
  • This event only deepened my convictions

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: intensify, compound, deepen

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: increase

Narrower terms: heat up, hot up, screw up, fan, enhance, heighten, raise, amplify, sharpen

4

verb

Meaning 4

increase

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • This will enhance your enjoyment
  • heighten the tension

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: enhance, raise

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: intensify, compound, heighten, deepen

Narrower terms: potentiate

5

verb

Meaning 5

make (one's senses) more acute

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • This drug will sharpen your vision

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sharpen

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: intensify, compound, heighten, deepen

Narrower terms: subtilize, subtilise

6

verb

Meaning 6

make more extreme; raise in quantity, degree, or intensity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • heightened interest

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: increase

7

verb

Meaning 7

become more extreme

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The tension heightened

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: rise

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: increase

8

verb

Meaning 8

increase the height of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The athletes kept jumping over the steadily heightened bars

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: raise, lift, elevate, get up, bring up

History

Etymology

From Middle English heightenen, hyghtenen, equivalent to height + -en (verbal suffix).

Across languages

Translations

44 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: повишавам (povišavam) — to make higher
  • Bulgarian: издигам (izdigam) — to make higher
  • Chinese Mandarin: 提高 (tígāo) — to make higher
  • Dutch: verhogen — to make higher
  • Esperanto: altigi — to make higher
  • Esperanto: plialtigi — to make higher
  • Finnish: korottaa — to make higher
  • French: hausser — to make higher
  • Hungarian: magasít — to make higher
  • Hungarian: megemel — to make higher
  • Hungarian: megmagasít — to make higher
  • Hungarian: feljebb/magasabbra emel — to make higher
  • Icelandic: hækka — to make higher
  • Irish: ardaigh — to make higher
  • Māori: whakatiketike — to make higher
  • Māori: whakateitei — to make higher
  • Middle English: heightenen — to make higher
  • Middle English: enhauncen — to make higher
  • Persian: بالا بردن (bâlâ bordan) — to make higher
  • Portuguese: elevar — to make higher
  • Russian: повыша́ть (povyšátʹ) — to make higher
  • Russian: повы́сить (povýsitʹ) — to make higher
  • Spanish: elevar — to make higher
  • Swedish: förhöja — to make higher
  • Bulgarian: усилвам (usilvam) — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Bulgarian: повишавам (povišavam) — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Catalan: aixecar — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Dutch: aandikken — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Dutch: opsmukken — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Esperanto: akrigi — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Esperanto: altigi — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Esperanto: plialtigi — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Finnish: korostaa — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • French: hausser — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Hungarian: fokoz — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Hungarian: felfokoz — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Hungarian: megnövel — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Hungarian: súlyosbít — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Portuguese: aumentar — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Russian: повыша́ться (povyšátʹsja) — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Russian: повы́ситься (povýsitʹsja) — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Spanish: realzar — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Spanish: amplificar — to augment, aggravate, intensify
  • Spanish: intensificar — to augment, aggravate, intensify