heighten meaning

heighten as a verb

1. become more extreme
   • The tension heightened

   Synonyms: rise

   Type of: increase

2. make more extreme; raise in quantity, degree, or intensity
   • heightened interest

   Type of: increase

3. increase
   • This will enhance your enjoyment
   • heighten the tension

   Synonyms: enhance, raise

   Type of: intensify

   Kinds: potentiate

4. increase the height of
   • The athletes kept jumping over the steadily heightened bars

   Type of: raise

5. make (one's senses) more acute
   • This drug will sharpen your vision

   Synonyms: sharpen

   Type of: intensify

   Kinds: subtilize

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: intensify, compound, deepen

   Type of: increase

   Kinds: heat up, fan, enhance, amplify, sharpen

How to pronounce heighten

heighten is pronounced /ˈhaɪtən/ in American English. It has 2 syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.

Words that rhyme with heighten

• tighten
• whiten
• lighten
• brighten
• frighten
• titan
• triton
• enlighten