What does "enhance" mean?
To lift, raise up.
Enhance
/ɪnˈhɑːns/ verb
verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To lift, raise up.
- Grammar: enhance is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: heighten, accelerate, accelerate progresses, accentuate.
- Useful contrasts: blemished, blighted, blunt.
- Usage evidence: It should be clear that the curriculum reform is mandatory in order to enhance interdisciplinary research.
How to use "enhance"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "enhance" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "enhance" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "enhance" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "enhance" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "enhance" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "heighten" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "enhance", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To lift, raise up. obsolete
"nought aghast, his mightie hand enhaunst: / The stroke down from her head vnto her shoulder glaunst."
- 2 increase the level of wordnet
- 3 To augment or make something greater.
"They had no character to preserve, except for courage; and perhaps the reputation of ferocity enhanced the value of their services, in making them feared as well as hated by the people."
- 4 make better or more attractive wordnet
- 5 To improve something by adding features.
"A pom-pom to top off a stocking cap, a fringe to feather the edge of a shawl, tassels to define the points of an afghan, these are just a few of the delightful little goodies that enhance handknit things."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To be raised up; to grow larger. intransitive
"A debt enhances rapidly by compound interest."
- 7 To take up contrast agent (for an organ, tissue, or lesion).
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"It should be clear that the curriculum reform is mandatory in order to enhance interdisciplinary research."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "enhance"?
Common synonyms include: heighten, accelerate, accelerate progresses, accentuate, acculturate, add to.
How do you use "enhance" in a sentence?
It should be clear that the curriculum reform is mandatory in order to enhance interdisciplinary research.
How do you pronounce "enhance"?
Pronounced /ɪnˈhɑːns/.
Etymology
From Middle English enhauncen, anhaunsen, from Anglo-Norman anhauncer (“enhance, raise”), from Vulgar Latin *inaltiāre (“raise”), derived from Latin in + altus (“high”). The /h/ in Old French was taken from haut (“high”), where it resulted from Frankish influence.