brighten
verb
Simple meaning
Make more cheerful through the use of color.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
brytuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbɹaɪtən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Make more cheerful through the use of color
“The paint will brighten the room.”
transitivefiguratively
To make more cheerful and pleasant; to enliven
transitive
To make bright or brighter in color.
transitive
To make illustrious, or more distinguished; to add luster or splendor to
intransitive
To grow bright, or more bright in color; to clear up
intransitive
To become brighter or more cheerful in mood
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Make more cheerful through the use of color
Used this way, brighten is a common word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The paint will brighten the room.”
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use brighten
- “The paint will brighten the room.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Make more cheerful.
To make happy.
To make (something) or to become less serious and more cheerful or casual.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.