The Collaborative International Dictionary
Brighten \Bright"en\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brightened; p. pr. & vb. n. Brightening.] Note: [From Bright, a.]
To make bright or brighter; to make to shine; to increase the luster of; to give a brighter hue to.
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To make illustrious, or more distinguished; to add luster or splendor to.
The present queen would brighten her character, if she would exert her authority to instill virtues into her people.
--Swift. -
To improve or relieve by dispelling gloom or removing that which obscures and darkens; to shed light upon; to make cheerful; as, to brighten one's prospects.
An ecstasy, which mothers only feel, Plays round my heart and brightens all my sorrow.
--Philips. To make acute or witty; to enliven.
--Johnson.
Wiktionary
vb. (en-past of: brighten)
Usage examples of "brightened".
The people on the wall and the monsters on the field had to avert their eyes from the brightened power of Cryshal-Tirith.
The field outside remained under the shadow of night, but the first fingers of dawn brightened the tower's high pinnacle.
The room brightened considerably as several of the wall panels which had appeared mirrorlike in the torchlight showed themselves to be windows.
The Faceless One did not miss the sparkle that suddenly brightened the scar let glow in the young Do'Urden's heat-sensing eyes.
He flashed the object, brightened in the infrared spectrum, three times behind him to signal the approaching brigades of Nalfein and Rizzen.
Zak paused a moment to study the concentration of the young drow (and also to keep his hands over the coins and ensure that they were brightened enough by the warmth of his body heat for Drizzt to prop erly see them in their flight).
His nearby kin did likewise, and this second section of the south face brightened with magic.
She squinted as the pool, a scrying pool, brightened, as the dawn broke on the outside world, not so far to the east of Fourthpeak.
Drizzt went on, and Dunkin's eyes brightened for an instant-until the drow explained what he meant by the word "reward.
Deudermont said, and the wizard's face brightened as he looked up at the man.
She and Ivan had swapped many fine tales over the past few days, and though he remained a prisoner it was fairly obvious that Innovindil's contact with Ivan had brightened his mood and lessened the trouble he was causing.
Innovindil remarked, and Tarathiel's dark expression brightened a bit, a smirk even crossing his face.
When the dawn brightened the ground the next morning, they found that the mountains to the south, across the eastern stretches of Fell Pass, were much closer than those they had left behind.
As she dug her way toward the bottom, Ryld thought he heard the high priestess mutter something disparaging about the ambassador and a comment about her being a waste of space then her face brightened as she pulled a thick tube free.
It brightened until no one could miss seeing the bright white luminescence.