as in increased
being at a higher level than average
there were heightened levels of lead in the drinking water
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in intensified
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 lifted
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
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Recent Examples of heightened
Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
That gives me a sense of confidence and an ability that puts me in more of a heightened state.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2026
Non-white participants — including Lindsay and James — encountered heightened scrutiny and racist commentary online.
—Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
Waymo’s operations in Austin have been under heightened scrutiny after one of its vehicles was seen blocking an Austin-Travis County EMS ambulance responding to the mass shooting on West Sixth Street earlier this month.
—Andrea Guzmán, Austin American Statesman, 19 Mar. 2026
Officials described the action as part of a campaign to counter Tehran’s expanding use of cyber tools to influence public opinion abroad, particularly during periods of heightened geopolitical tension.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 19 Mar. 2026
Many public places remained closed amid heightened fear.
—Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026
The United States recently restored diplomatic relations with the South American nation following years of heightened tensions between the two states.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Many public places remained closed amid heightened fear.
—Haruna Umar, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
Anxiety among parents and lawmakers has heightened as platforms and AI chatbots become more intertwined with people’s daily life.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026
North Texas is heading into a stretch of unusually hot weather with record-breaking temperatures possible starting this Friday and continuing through the weekend, prompting First Alert Weather Days and heightened fire danger concerns.
—Michael Autovino, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Mutual success has only heightened tensions between Microsoft and OpenAI, whose partnership helped kickstart the AI boom.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 19 Mar. 2026
Hundreds of cockpit and cabin crew members had been furloughed starting in late 2024 as the company struggled to cut costs after industry competition heightened, revenues declined and various debt payment obligations came due.
—David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2026
Concerns about the team’s safety in Iran heightened when the players didn’t sing the Iranian national anthem before their first match.
—ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
The film is an absolute riot, a no-bones-about-it horror flick heightened by powerful music, confident performances, and rich, resonant themes regarding cultural assimilation.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
The episode heightened fears across the Gulf that the war could expand to include water infrastructure in a region heavily dependent on desalination.
—Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
In light of the purchases, as well as a heightened threat environment during the war with Iran, CNN spoke to Weimer and national security experts to better understand Phantom’s security protocols, business and value to law enforcement.
—Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
That gives me a sense of confidence and an ability that puts me in more of a heightened state.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2026
Non-white participants — including Lindsay and James — encountered heightened scrutiny and racist commentary online.
—Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
Waymo’s operations in Austin have been under heightened scrutiny after one of its vehicles was seen blocking an Austin-Travis County EMS ambulance responding to the mass shooting on West Sixth Street earlier this month.
—Andrea Guzmán, Austin American Statesman, 19 Mar. 2026
Officials described the action as part of a campaign to counter Tehran’s expanding use of cyber tools to influence public opinion abroad, particularly during periods of heightened geopolitical tension.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 19 Mar. 2026
Many public places remained closed amid heightened fear.
—Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026
The United States recently restored diplomatic relations with the South American nation following years of heightened tensions between the two states.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Many public places remained closed amid heightened fear.
—Haruna Umar, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Verb
The conversation heightened Hardaway’s temptation to pick Denver among a handful of suitors in free agency.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
Anxiety among parents and lawmakers has heightened as platforms and AI chatbots become more intertwined with people’s daily life.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026
North Texas is heading into a stretch of unusually hot weather with record-breaking temperatures possible starting this Friday and continuing through the weekend, prompting First Alert Weather Days and heightened fire danger concerns.
—Michael Autovino, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Mutual success has only heightened tensions between Microsoft and OpenAI, whose partnership helped kickstart the AI boom.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 19 Mar. 2026
Hundreds of cockpit and cabin crew members had been furloughed starting in late 2024 as the company struggled to cut costs after industry competition heightened, revenues declined and various debt payment obligations came due.
—David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2026
Concerns about the team’s safety in Iran heightened when the players didn’t sing the Iranian national anthem before their first match.
—ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
The film is an absolute riot, a no-bones-about-it horror flick heightened by powerful music, confident performances, and rich, resonant themes regarding cultural assimilation.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
The episode heightened fears across the Gulf that the war could expand to include water infrastructure in a region heavily dependent on desalination.
—Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heightened
Adjective
-
This move comes as the brand has faced increased competition from Anthropic’s Claude AI tools.—
James Peckham,
PC Magazine,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The higher the number, the more increased long-term risk of heart attack or stroke.—
Sara Moniuszko,
USA Today,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Fighting in southern Lebanese towns have intensified recently as Israel continues its ground operations.—
Alon Bernstein,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Behind the scenes, work toward resolving the standoff intensified Friday as White House border czar Tom Homan was set to meet for the second consecutive day with a bipartisan group of senators.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Many commenters questioned why the ban on transfusions wasn't lifted entirely for one of the same reasons cited by Lösch regarding the use of one's own blood, that the Bible doesn't comment on it.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Raging waters lifted homes and cars and prompted evacuation orders for 5,500 people north of Honolulu.—
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Avoid tall, isolated trees or other elevated objects.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and elevated oil prices continue to weigh on global stock markets.—
TipRanks.com Staff,
CNBC,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
During the next two years, Pahlavi expanded his operation and deepened his ties with Israel.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The market's losses deepened after oil prices erased an early dip and accelerated in the afternoon.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Operations at LaGuardia Airport were abruptly halted early Monday after a late-night runway collision between a regional passenger aircraft and an emergency vehicle raised safety concerns at one of the busiest air hubs in the United States.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Mar. 2026
-
While both did not hit the island, the strike raised concerns that Iran’s missile range is potentially far greater than was previously thought, given Diego Garcia is well over 2,000 miles away from Iran.—
Zach LaChance,
The Washington Examiner,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Sunday is expected to be consistently hot, , with day temperatures reaching as high as 95 degrees, according to the weather service’s forecast.—
Suryatapa Chakraborty,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Instead, temperatures have been so warm that precipitation has fallen as rain, rather than snow, even at higher elevations.—
Mira Rojanasakul,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But that 34-day war only further enhanced Hezbollah’s position in Lebanon as a powerful armed militia, operating outside of government reach while at the same time — particularly since 2008 – actually being part of the government and having effective control over it.—
Asher Kaufman,
The Conversation,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Ridges of this magnitude can be enhanced by La Niña, sometimes creating a stagnant period of record high temperatures as sinking air compresses and increases heat.—
Callie Zanandrie,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heightened. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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