as in to lighten
to become glad or hopeful
the glum soccer player started to brighten upon being told that his injury would not jeopardize his career
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of brighten
Achar, the house blend of pickles, arrives with a few dishes to brighten up the palate.
—
Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2024
Used for brightening under eyes, concealing blemishes, and even contouring, this formula blurs imperfections with minimal product—and still looks natural.
—Angela Trakoshis, Allure, 23 Dec. 2024
The outlook began to brighten for the family in 2023.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 25 Dec. 2024
Incandescent lights, seemingly old and obsolete in the age of LEDs, have found purpose again to potentially brighten our future.
—New Atlas, 24 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for brighten 
Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2024
Used for brightening under eyes, concealing blemishes, and even contouring, this formula blurs imperfections with minimal product—and still looks natural.
—Angela Trakoshis, Allure, 23 Dec. 2024
The outlook began to brighten for the family in 2023.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 25 Dec. 2024
Incandescent lights, seemingly old and obsolete in the age of LEDs, have found purpose again to potentially brighten our future.
—New Atlas, 24 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for brighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brighten
Verb
-
The 57-year-old coach, in the midst of his 26th season behind an NHL bench and second with the Panthers, knows when to lighten the mood with either quick-wit sarcasm or deadpanned replies.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
7 Jan. 2025
-
Phil Brown came in as Phil’s assistant to lighten the mood, as things had all got a bit intense.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
The Athletic,
4 Jan. 2025
Verb
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His second story collection, Chemical Valley, won the Alistair MacLeod Short Fiction Prize, received glowing reviews, and was a finalist for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and the ReLit Award.—
Nicola Davison,
Hazlitt,
10 Jan. 2025
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In some shots, embers can still be seen glowing amid the wreckage.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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For decades afterward, the 1984 defeat revived Liberal prudence: Don’t overdo things.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
15 Jan. 2025
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That kept hope alive that Daredevil might be revived and/or re-imagined.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
Ars Technica,
15 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near brighten
Cite this Entry
“Brighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brighten. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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