heighten meaning and definition

HEIGHTEN verb

Definition of heighten (verb)

1. become more extreme
   • "The tension heightened"
   • synonyms: rise
2. make more extreme; raise in quantity, degree, or intensity
   • "heightened interest"
3. increase
   • "This will enhance your enjoyment"; "heighten the tension"
   • synonyms: enhance, raise
4. increase the height of
   • "The athletes kept jumping over the steadily heightened bars"
5. make (one's senses) more acute
   • "This drug will sharpen your vision"
   • synonyms: sharpen
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: compound, deepen, intensify