SHARPEN Synonyms: 15 Similar and Opposite Words

sharpen

verb

ˈshär-pən

Definition of sharpen

as in to grind

to make sharp or sharper you need to sharpen your penknife's blade frequently in order to be able to whittle properly

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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 sharpen Research on digestion could sharpen the picture The early evidence on sourdough and digestion is promising, but researchers say human results are still mixed because the effect can depend on the flour, the starter and how long the dough ferments. — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026 Lambert, who was a substitute at Silver Rail before becoming a full-time teacher, also traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to sharpen her skills teaching English as a second language. — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026 For children with myopia, commonly known as nearsightedness, these glasses can do more than sharpen blurry vision. — Lauryn Higgins, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 Cohan plays Catherine ‘Cat’ Keegan, a former homecoming queen whose small-town charm has sharpened into something fiercer thanks to decades of old grudges and regrets. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sharpen

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sharpen

Verb

For decades, junior accountants learned their trade by reconciling accounts, manually entering data, and grinding through the month-end close.

— Sam Birchall, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
This innovation—the mass manufacture of ammonia, vastly more efficient than scraping guano off remote islands or grinding mountains of bison bones—removed the most critical nutrient bottleneck in global agriculture.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of grind

Verb

Ne-Yo followed suit and honed his tenor like a lithe instrument.

— Clover Hope, Pitchfork, 25 Oct. 2026
And while not everyone has been happy with such a major shift, notably all those pentathletes who spent years honing their equestrian skills, the sport deemed it a necessary disturbance in order to maintain its status as an Olympic event.

— Ben Church, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of hone

Verb

Frasers’ failed takeover bid this past summer only whetted its acquisitive owner Mike Ashley‘s appetite for more.

— Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
Here, the line invokes the possible; the spoken decision not to tell acts as any secret—to whet the listener’s own desire to know.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of whet

Browse Nearby Words

sharped

sharpen

sharpened

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

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Synonyms of sharpen

verb

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