heighten

Verb

Verb Forms: heightened, heightening, heightens

• To make or become higher; to intensify or increase.
• become more extreme
  • "The tension heightened"
• make more extreme; raise in quantity, degree, or intensity
  • "heightened interest"
• increase
  • "heighten the tension"
• increase the height of
  • "The athletes kept jumping over the steadily heightened bars"
• make (one's senses) more acute
• make more intense, stronger, or more marked; ,
  • "Pot smokers claim it heightens their awareness"
• To make high; to raise higher; to elevate.
• To advance, increase, augment, make larger, more intense, stronger etc.

Examples

• His successful bingo play served to heighten the tension in the Words With Friends game.
• the excitement heightened
• to heighten a flavor or a tint
• to heighten awareness
• to heighten beauty
• to heighten tension

Synonyms

compound, deepen, enhance, intensify, raise, rise, sharpen

Antonyms

lessen