heightens

Heightens is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb heighten. Heighten means to make or become greater in height, intensity, or degree. The word is formed from the noun height with the English suffix -en, and it has been part of English vocabulary since the Middle English period.

In modern usage, heighten is typically transitive, taking a direct object that denotes a quality or condition, such as tension, risk, awareness, or contrast: for example, “The announcement heightens public concern.” It can also be used intransitively to describe a state that becomes greater or more intense: “Tension heightens as the deadline approaches.” The form heightens is used when the subject is singular and in the present tense (he heightens, she heightens).

Heighten is often chosen to convey a deliberate increase or enhancement, especially with intangible attributes, and is commonly found in formal or semi-formal writing. The past participle heightened is used to form passive constructions or as an adjective meaning “made greater.”

Common synonyms include intensify, augment, deepen, and escalate, though heighten frequently implies a qualitative increase in affect, awareness, or atmosphere rather than a strictly numerical change.

See also: height, heightening, heightened, heightening. Examples of usage vary by context, but the core sense remains a raise in degree or level of a given quality.