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Glite Dictionary
😊 To make cheerful 🌤️ To become clear
to brighten

to brighten

27 2.7
To make a place or thing look more cheerful by adding color
  • verb
  • /ˈbraɪtən/
translation icon : alegrar
  • This new paint color will really brighten up the living room.

This maybe I can use to brighten underneath my eyes.

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Examples

  • Helps with dark circles and it helps brighten the skin under the eyes.

  • Adding colorful paintings can brighten the atmosphere of any room.

  • Just smile a little smile and brighten the environment.

  • If you ask me, the... the pink really brightens the place up a bit.

    Paddington 2 (2017)

  • It always brightens my day.

    What Men Want (2019)

  • You really brightened my day...Miss..?

    Queer Duck: The Movie (2006)

  • Mother says some herbal tea always brightens the mood.

    Fixed (2025)

  • Then occasionally there's one that really brightens your day.

    The Man Who Loved Women (1983)

  • Arlene smiled, and the excitement in her eyes brightened her whole face.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The receptionist, if that's what she was, brightened at this news instead of glowering, as was often the case.

    Fiction book (1991)

Synonyms

to enhance
vsto brighten
424 4.0

Make something better or more attractive

is more specific, aiming to add colour for a cheerier look
to liven up
vsto brighten
  • Informal
66 3.9

To make or become more active and interesting

is more about altering appearance with colour to cheer things
to light up
vsto brighten
64 2.5

Begin to shine or make something begin to shine, for example by burning

creates a cheerier, more colourful appearance not just more light
to brighten up
vsto brighten
  • Informal
17 2.7

Make a room or person more cheerful

is focused on adding color to create a more cheerful look
to lighten
vsto brighten
16 2.3

To make a place or color look brighter

stresses adding cheerfulness and lively colour rather than only light
to lighten up
vsto brighten
6 3.3

To make a room or object look brighter and more cheerful

adds alive cheerful colour to change mood rather than just lightening
to enliven
vsto brighten
6 4.1

Make something more active and interesting

aims more at changing color to produce a cheerful effect
to give life to
vsto brighten
5 4.1

To make a place or event feel lively and energetic

focuses specifically on changing colour to increase cheerfulness
to freshen up
vsto brighten
  • Informal
4 3.0

Make a room look cleaner and nicer with small changes

targets colour and cheerfulness rather than just cleaning or repair
to liven
vsto brighten
4 3.6

To make something more exciting or interesting

is narrower, stressing colour change to boost cheerfulness
to pep up
vsto brighten
  • Informal
3 4.1

Make someone or something more lively and interesting

works more by changing colour to make things look cheerier
to vitalize
vsto brighten
  • US
1 6.7

To make something full of life and energy

focuses more on visual colour change to create cheerfulness
to vivify
vsto brighten
  • Formal
1 8.2

To make something more lively or bright

emphasizes visual colour change to make things cheerier
to tinge
vsto brighten
1 4.8

To add a small amount of color or feeling to something

is stronger, intending clear colour change to make things cheerier

Antonyms

to darken
63 3.3

Make or become less bright, for example a room

to dull
33 3.4

Cause something to become less sharp, strong or bright

Idioms

to brighten one's day
  • Informal
8 2.8

To make someone feel happier or more cheerful

Phrasal Verbs

to brighten up
  • Informal
17 2.7

Make a room or person more cheerful

to brighten up the room
  • Informal
1 2.9

Make a room feel more lively and cheerful

to brighten the room
  • Informal
3.0

To make a room feel happier and more lively

How Cheerful

delight
184 1.2
to enliven
6 4.1
to brighten
27 2.7
to cheer up
  • Informal
234 1.4
to perk up
  • Informal
16 3.1

Surface Forms

brighten infinitive
brightened past
brightened past participle
brightening present participle
brightens third person singular

Morphology

brighten = bright (transparent) = bright + en

A straightforward verb formed by adding the productive suffix '-en' to the adjective 'bright', meaning to make or become more bright.

Etymology

The word brighten comes from bright ('shine' or 'full of light') plus the ending -en which means 'make'. So to brighten a room is to 'make it bright' by adding light or colour, and that makes the place feel more cheerful.