brighten

/'braitn/

Definition

Verb (transitive):
- To make something lighter, more colorful, or more cheerful: To add light, color, or a positive quality to something, improving its appearance or atmosphere.
- To make someone happier or more cheerful: To cause a person's mood, expression, or prospects to become more positive.
Verb (intransitive):
- To become lighter or brighter: To increase in light, color, or intensity.
- To become happier or more cheerful: For a person's mood, expression, or demeanor to improve.

Usage Examples

Verb (transitive):
- She used yellow cushions to brighten the dark grey sofa.
- The good news brightened his whole day.
Verb (intransitive):
- The sky began to brighten at dawn.
- Her face brightened when she saw her friend arrive.

Advanced Usage

"to brighten up": This phrasal verb is very common and can be used both transitively and intransitively with the same core meanings as "brighten."
- We should brighten up this room with some new curtains. (transitive)
- The weather finally brightened up in the afternoon. (intransitive)
- He brightened up when he heard the music. (intransitive)

Variants and Related Words

Bright (adj): Giving out or reflecting a lot of light; vivid in color; intelligent and quick-witted.
- The bright sun made her squint.
Brightly (adv): In a bright manner.
- The stars shone brightly.
Brightness (n): The quality or state of being bright.
- She adjusted the brightness of the screen.

Synonyms

Related Phrasal Verbs

Related Idioms

A silver lining (brightens every cloud): This idiom suggests that even a bad situation (cloud) has a positive aspect (silver lining). While it doesn't contain the word "brighten," it conceptually relates to the idea of something positive making a situation better or brighter.
- After losing his job, the silver lining was that he finally had time to write his novel.

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