heighten

heighten — verb

1. to become greater in degree or strength, or to cause an emotion, effect, or situ

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

to become greater in degree or strength, or to cause an emotion, effect, or situation to become greater in degree or strength — for example, when a sudden noise heightens your fear, or when competition heightens the tension between players.

例句

The long wait only heightened Nkechi's anxiety about the test results.

transitive + emotion object (anxiety)

Ezra's fear heightened when he heard footsteps following him through the quiet park at night.

intransitive: emotion as subject

同義詞
  • intensify

    stronger and more formal; implies making something more extreme in degree

  • amplify

    suggests making something more noticeable or audible, especially sound or effect

  • escalate

    implies a gradual rise, often of conflict or tension; carries a more dramatic tone

  • increase

    broader and more neutral; used for both concrete and abstract quantities

反義詞
  • reduce

    general opposite; to make smaller in amount or degree

  • diminish

    suggests a gradual decrease in strength or intensity

  • lessen

    neutral opposite; to become or make smaller in degree

文法句型

heighten + noun phrase

heighten (no object)

be heightened + by + noun phrase

用法筆記

Can be used both transitively (The noise heightened their fear) and intransitively (Their fear heightened). The passive form (be heightened) is common, especially when the cause of the increase is stated with by.

常見錯誤

❌The company heightened the salaries of all employees.
✅The company raised the salaries of all employees.
💡heighten is not used for concrete/physical increases like salary or height; use raise or increase for those.
❌The chef heightened the soup.
✅The chef heightened the flavour of the soup.
💡heighten needs an object that is an abstract quality (flavour, intensity, effect), not a concrete thing.