sharpened 1 of 2

adjective

as in sharp
having an edge thin enough to cut or pierce something the sharpened blade of a lawn mower

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sharpened

2 of 2

verb

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

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 sharpened
Verb
With polls showing Jackson ahead but within the margin of error, both sides have sharpened their attacks. — Julia Terruso, Time, 26 Oct. 2026 Scallop crudo, a wedge salad piled with jumbo lump crab and sharpened with wasabi dressing, and a lobster roll with saffron coleslaw sit comfortably alongside American classics like a double cheeseburger and fries. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026 Mayberry sharpened her songwriting through years of sessions, seeking a more vivid storytelling approach and a broader vocal palette. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 21 Oct. 2026 Cohan joins the eight-episode series as Catherine ‘Cat’ Keegan, a former homecoming queen whose small-town charm has sharpened into something fiercer thanks to decades of old grudges and regrets. — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 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 But the fear and exasperation among the lenders whose money fuels this game sharpened noticeably over the past week. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026 The voter list dispute has sharpened those frustrations, giving a generation’s discontent a common cause. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 There may have been little place for critique in his early images of the luxe life, but their satirical edge sharpened over time, hitting a peak in a spoof of tabloid sensationalism in the September, 1962, issue. — Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sharpened
  1. sharp
  2. edged
  3. jagged
  4. ground
  5. filed
Adjective
  • Someone slaps a strip of medical tape across their lips, promises you deeper sleep, fewer snores and a sharper jawline by morning, then cuts to a dreamy sunrise shot.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026
  • And while Kim tends to gravitate toward body-conscious silhouettes and plenty of skin, Kris has made a signature of sharp tailoring, statement accessories, and an unapologetic dose of flash.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of sharp
Verb
  • Andrade, the Olympic champion on vault and the Olympic silver medalist in the all-around in Paris behind Simone Biles, edged Pease for gold.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Caterpillar also edged down about 2%, while Goldman Sachs lost more than 1%, adding pressure to the 30-stock index.
    — Hugh Leask,Lee Ying Shan,Tobias Burns, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of edged
Adjective
  • The latter is more demanding, but might have the best views of those jagged, majestic Dolomites in the region.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Once fished to the brink of extinction globally, sand tiger sharks, that iconic aquarium shark with a jaw of protruding, jagged teeth that only a mother could love, have been increasing in the Boston Harbor over the last decade.
    — Asia London Palomba, Christian Science Monitor, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of jagged
Verb
  • While tree hugging isn’t typically my thing, the experience was unexpectedly grounding and deeply calming.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
  • These kinds of phrases are grounding and can help contain some of that anxiety.
    — Gili Malinsky, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of ground
Verb
  • The University of Arizona Police Department, which filed the search warrant, said on Tuesday that the investigation was ongoing.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Davis’s letter follows a separate ethics complaint filed by a conservative watchdog group to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics over Slotkin’s University of Chicago remarks, first reported by the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.
    — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of filed

Browse Nearby Words

sharpen
sharpened
sharpening
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sharpened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sharpened. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All