'Sharpen' definitions:
Definition of 'sharpen'
From: WordNet
verb
verb
Make crisp or more crisp and precise; "We had to sharpen our arguments"
verb
Become sharp or sharper; "The debate sharpened"
verb
Put (an image) into focus; "Please focus the image; we cannot enjoy the movie" [syn: focus, focalize, focalise, sharpen] [ant: blear, blur]
verb
Make (images or sounds) sharp or sharper [ant: soften]
verb
verb
verb
Make (one's senses) more acute; "This drug will sharpen your vision" [syn: sharpen, heighten]
Definition of 'Sharpen'
From: GCIDE
- Sharpen \Sharp"en\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sarpened; p. pr. & vb. n. Sharpening.] [See Sharp, a.] To make sharp. Specifically: (a) To give a keen edge or fine point to; to make sharper; as, to sharpen an ax, or the teeth of a saw. (b) To render more quick or acute in perception; to make more ready or ingenious. [1913 Webster]
- The air . . . sharpened his visual ray To objects distant far. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
- He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. --Burke. [1913 Webster] (c) To make more eager; as, to sharpen men's desires. [1913 Webster]
- Epicurean cooks Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite. --Shak. [1913 Webster] (d) To make more pungent and intense; as, to sharpen a pain or disease. (e) To make biting, sarcastic, or severe. "Sharpen each word." --E. Smith. (f) To render more shrill or piercing. [1913 Webster]
- Inclosures not only preserve sound, but increase and sharpen it. --Bacon. [1913 Webster] (g) To make more tart or acid; to make sour; as, the rays of the sun sharpen vinegar. (h) (Mus.) To raise, as a sound, by means of a sharp; to apply a sharp to. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Sharpen'
From: GCIDE
- Sharpen \Sharp"en\, v. i. To grow or become sharp. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'sharpen'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- accelerate,
- aculeate,
- acuminate,
- agent provocateur,
- aggravate,
- amplify,
- animate,
- annoy,
- augment,
- barb,
- beef up,
- blow up,
- build up,
- complicate,
- concentrate,
- condense,
- consolidate,
- cultivate,
- cuspidate,
- deepen,
- deteriorate,
- double,
- dress,
- edge,
- embitter,
- enhance,
- enlarge,
- enliven,
- exacerbate,
- exaggerate,
- exasperate,
- excite,
- exhilarate,
- file,
- fillip,
- galvanize,
- grind,
- heat up,
- heighten,
- hone,
- hop up,
- hot up,
- increase,
- infuse life into,
- instrument,
- intensify,
- invigorate,
- irritate,
- jazz up,
- key up,
- machine,
- magnify,
- make acute,
- make complex,
- make sensitive,
- make worse,
- mechanize,
- mill,
- motorize,
- oilstone,
- pick up,
- pique,
- point,
- provoke,
- quicken,
- ramify,
- redouble,
- refine,
- reinforce,
- renew,
- reset,
- resuscitate,
- retool,
- revive,
- sensibilize,
- sensitize,
- set,
- sharp,
- soup up,
- sour,
- spiculate,
- spur,
- step up,
- stimulate,
- stir,
- strap,
- strengthen,
- stroke,
- strop,
- taper,
- tool,
- triple,
- whet,
- worsen