heightening 1 of 2

noun

as in strengthening

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Dissimilar Words

heightening

2 of 2

verb

present participle of heighten
1
as in intensifying
to make markedly greater in measure or degree several controversial measures have heightened parental awareness of the impact of school policy decisions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lifting
to move from a lower to a higher place or position heightened the hem on her skirt just a couple of inches

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of heightening
Noun
Father-Daughter Song A very weird and funny pre-tape that is elevated by its genuinely strange heightening. — Charu Sinha, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2026 The real heightening of this support, though, came four years later. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 19 July 2026 Lighting designer Esquire Jauchem softens and brightens above and around the ever-moving Rubinstein as topics and memories call for the heightening and muting of the president’s feelings and emotions. — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026 Just a day later, Neptune retrograde shifts into Pisces, heightening intuition and deepening emotional awareness with entirely new depth. — Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
The incidents are heightening concerns about female politicians’ safety and security in a country where lawmakers are highly accessible to the public. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026 New shipping routes are opening, China is doing more trade through the Arctic region, and a Russian military buildup is also heightening security concerns. — Lorne Cook, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026 The inflation report, which comes two weeks before the central bank’s next meeting and three weeks before Election Day, is heightening concerns about the Iran war’s effect on the cost of goods beyond food and energy. — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026 Telecom providers — SpaceX moved to boost its Starlink Mobile service , heightening competition concerns around legacy telecom carriers. — Scott Schnipper, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026 Related Stories Of course, the Kings have long had a keen eye for distilling and (just barely) heightening the absurdities of modern life. — Alison Herman, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026 Climate change has been heating up Southern California for some time, heightening fire danger and worsening droughts. — Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026 This, of course, is intensified by the weight of tomorrow’s lunar eclipse, already heightening our emotions. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026 There’s an Iran war that won’t end, heightening anxieties, plus fluctuating trade policies for those who deal with foreign goods or markets. — Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 25 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heightening
  1. strengthening
  2. intensifying
  3. lifting
  4. increase
  5. deepening
  6. raising
  7. enhancement
  8. enhancing
Noun
  • The storm, located a little more than 500 miles east of the northern Philippines, has been taking advantage of ideal conditions for tropical cyclone sustenance and strengthening.
    — Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The rebuttal is that much of this outlay has been wasteful, blown on poor recruitment choices while other areas badly in need of strengthening have been neglected.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of strengthening
Verb
  • Porsche's China sales have fallen sharply in recent years amid intensifying competition from brands such as BYD, Geely and Xiaomi.
    — Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Mose, a former Norwegian judge, said the intensifying attacks as this winter approaches raise serious concerns about the threats posed to civilians.
    — Edith M. Lederer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of intensifying
Verb
  • The reduction in missions lifting off from Florida has slowed Falcon 9's Starlink launch cadence considerably.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Record-high diesel prices pushed freight off the highway and onto the railroads in the third quarter, lifting CSX, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern to record revenue.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of lifting
Noun
  • Maine, North Carolina and Ohio also have seen increases of more than 30% in early in-person and mail voting compared with the same point in 2022.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Washington State reported a much lower $86 million for 2026; however, that’s an increase of $11 million from 2025, as the athletic department has returned to a budget equal to the final year of the old Pac-12 in fiscal 2024.
    — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of increase
Verb
  • David Roche, a veteran strategist at Quantum Strategy & Geonomics, said the Arctic's importance lies less in its potential to transform global shipping than in the deepening economic dependence between Russia and China.
    — Lee Ying Shan,Matthew Tan, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Over the weekend, political leaders from Marsabit County warned of a deepening humanitarian crisis that could overwhelm host communities already struggling with food and water shortages worsened by climate change.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of deepening
Verb
  • And already this week, at least one county official is raising questions about why his locality is on the DOJ's list.
    — Miles Parks, NPR, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Privacy concerns The very same design elements that make Muse so appealing to AI newcomers are also raising privacy concerns.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of raising
Noun
  • By adjusting the distance between the tips, the team could stretch or compress the molecular structure, changing the voltage at which the current enhancement began.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • In some of the advertisements during this election cycle, AI was used for aesthetic enhancements, such as improving image quality or dramatizing events in the candidate’s life.
    — Anagilmara Vílchez, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of enhancement
Verb
  • The finishing touch should be a shine-enhancing hair gloss to blend the blonde tones seamlessly into the brunette strands.
    — Jacqueline Kilikita, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The initiative was part of the retailer’s aim to support new talents and its increasing focus on enhancing its brand awareness globally.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of enhancing

Browse Nearby Words

heightened
heightening
heightens
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Cite this Entry

“Heightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heightening. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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