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

to brighten

5 2.1
To become less cloudy with more light
  • verb
  • /ˈbraɪtən/
translation icon : despejarse
  • The pink fair-weather clouds that hugged the horizon gradually brightened until they were bathed in brilliant white.
  • the sky gradually brightened

I never forget how as day brightened, I rose from the chill ground and folded my soldier well in his blanket and buried him where he fell.

Examples

  • On the back stoop, Angelo stretched and looked up at the brightening sky.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The sun is on the mountain, the grass, and the barbed fences, steadily brightening.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • An hour went by, then two, but the sky barely brightened.

    Academic text (2007)

  • But in no more than ten minutes, the light brightened, and cameos of clear sky appeared.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The next morning squeaked with sunshine, brightening the cloudless sky to light blue.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • When the sky brightened, the bells on his sheep and goats started to clatter.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The storm cleared, and the sky brightened as the sun emerged from behind the clouds.

  • As the day progressed, the weather brightened, allowing us to finally enjoy a picnic in the park.

  • After hours of rain, the horizon began to brighten, promising a beautiful afternoon.

Synonyms

to clear
vsto brighten
74 1.0

To make water or air free from harmful substances

is about the sky losing cloudiness rather than removing physical impurities
to clear up
vsto brighten
51 2.0

To become clear after cloudy or rainy weather

focuses on the general change to a less cloudy sky rather than after rain
to brighten up
vsto brighten
  • Informal
17 2.7

Make a room or person more cheerful

relates to the physical clearing of the sky rather than emotional change
to lighten
vsto brighten
16 2.3

To make a place or color look brighter

describes the sky becoming less cloudy rather than just increased light
to lighten up
vsto brighten
6 3.3

To make a room or object look brighter and more cheerful

refers specifically to the sky becoming less cloudy rather than surface brightness

Antonyms

to darken
63 3.3

Make or become less bright, for example a room

to cloud over
1 3.4

The sky becomes covered with clouds and looks less 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 Clear

clear
866 1.0
to clear up
51 2.0
to brighten
5 2.1

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

brighten = bright (transparent) = bright + en

The intransitive sense 'to become brighter' is a direct inchoative use of 'bright' plus the verb-forming '-en'.

Etymology

The word brighten comes from bright ('shine' or 'light') and the ending -en meaning 'become' or 'make'. So when the clouds go away and the sky becomes lighter, we say the weather 'brightens' because it is becoming more bright and clear.