Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Made more sharp: Having been given a finer, keener, or more effective edge or point.
   • Made more intense or focused: Having been made more acute, severe, or clearly defined.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • The chef used a sharpened knife to slice the tomatoes thinly.
  • He handed me a sharpened pencil for the exam.
  • Her sharpened senses detected a faint sound in the darkness.
  • The debate led to a sharpened understanding of the issue.

Advanced Usage

• "Sharpened focus/attention": Intensified or more precise concentration.
  • The new data provided a sharpened focus for the investigation.
• "Sharpened skills/abilities": Improved or honed capabilities through practice.
  • Years of practice had sharpened her skills as a negotiator.

Variants and Related Words

• Sharpen (verb): To make or become sharp or sharper.
  • He needs to sharpen the blade.
• Sharpener (noun): A tool for sharpening.
  • a pencil sharpener.
• Sharp (adjective): Having a keen edge or point; acute.
  • a sharp needle.

Synonyms

• Honed: Sharpened, especially on a whetstone.
• Whetted: Sharpened by friction; often used metaphorically for appetite or interest.
• Acute: Extremely sharp or severe; keenly perceptive.
• Keen: Having a sharp edge; intellectually sharp or eager.

Antonyms

• Dull: Lacking a sharp edge or point; not intense.
• Blunt: Having a worn-down edge or point; not sharp.
• Unsharpened: Not made sharp; in its original, less keen state.

Adjective

1. made sharp or sharper
   • a sharpened knife cuts more cleanly
2. having the point made sharp
   • a sharpened pencil