sharpen
English · Thesaurus
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sharpen
- /ˈʃɑɹpən/ US
- /ˈʃɑːpən/ British, UK, Southern
Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)pən
Where it comes from
From Middle English scharpenen, scharpnen, equivalent to sharp + -en.
verb sharpens · sharpening · sharpened
- To make sharp. to sharpen a pencil or a knife or a musical note
- To become sharp. The organizers said they had found themselves "more involved in the web of social convulsions and violence that is tormenting our country. The present economic crisis, the grave political instability and the rapidly sharpening violence have finally overtaken […] our wishes.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: taper, heighten, focus, point, grind, whet, hone, refine, clarify, target, edge, upgrade, raising, enhance, escalate, raise
Translations
Every language
verb to make sharp
| Español | afilar, tajar, sacarle punta a, hacer/poner más nítido, reseguir |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 研ぐ togu, 削る kezuru |
| 中文 | 磨 mó, 削尖 xuējiān |
| हिन्दी | पैना करना painā karnā |
| Português | afiar, apontar |
| Français | affiler, affûter, aiguiser |
| Deutsch | schärfen, spitzen |
| Italiano | arrotare, affilare, molare, affinare |
| Ελληνικά | ακονίζω akonízo |
| Română | ascuți |
| Русский | точи́ть točítʹ, заточи́ть zatočítʹ, наточи́ть natočítʹ, поточи́ть potočítʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | mài, vót |
| العربية | شَحَذَ šaḥaḏa |
Talk about this word "sharpen." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sharpen. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. sharpen. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sharpen "sharpen." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sharpen.Cite this
@misc{sharpen_2026,
title = {sharpen},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sharpen},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
