Meanings
present singular third person sharpens · participle present sharpening · participle past sharpened · past sharpened
- figurativelysometimestransitiveTo make sharp.
to sharpen a pencil or a knife or a musical note
2 more examples
He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill.
1790 November, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, and on the Proceedings in Certain Societies in London Relative to that Event. […], London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […], →OCLCThe use of algorithms in policing is one example of their increasing influence on our lives.[…]who, if anyone, is policing their use. Such concerns were sharpened further by the continuing revelations about how the US National Security Agency (NSA) has been using algorithms to help it interpret the colossal amounts of data it has collected from its covert dragnet of international telecommunications.
2013 July 26, Leo Hickman, “How algorithms rule the world”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, page 26 - intransitiveTo 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.
1990 February 4, Jennie McKnight, “Peruvian Politics Threaten Encuentro”, in Gay Community News, volume 17, number 29, page 2
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishscharpenen
- Englishsharpen
From Middle English scharpenen, scharpnen, equivalent to sharp + -en.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ὀξύνω
- ὀξύνω (oxúnō)to make sharp
Arabic شَحَذَ
- شَحَذَ (šaḥaḏa)to make sharp
Basque zorroztu
- zorroztuto make sharp
Bulgarian остря, точа
- остря (ostrja)to make sharp
- точа (toča)to make sharp
Catalan esmolar, agusar
- esmolarto make sharp
- agusarto make sharp
Chinese Mandarin 磨, 削尖
- 磨 (mó)to make sharp
- 削尖 (xuējiān)to make sharp
Czech ostřit
- ostřitto make sharp
Danish skærpe
- skærpeto make sharp
Dutch scherpen, slijpen
- scherpento make sharp
- slijpento make sharp
- aanscherpento make sharp
Esperanto akrigi
- akrigito make sharp
Estonian ihuma hammast/hambaid, teravdama (teravda)
- ihuma hammast/hambaidto make sharp
- teravdama (teravda)to make sharp
- teritama pliiatsit (terita)to make sharp
Finnish teroittaa
- teroittaato make sharp
French affiler, affûter
- affilerto make sharp
- affûterto make sharp
- aiguiserto make sharp
German schärfen, spitzen
- schärfento make sharp
- spitzento make sharp
Greek ακονίζω
- ακονίζω (akonízo)to make sharp
Hindi पैना करना
- पैना करना (painā karnā)to make sharp
Hungarian élesít, hegyez
- élesítto make sharp
- hegyezto make sharp
- kihegyezto make sharp
- fento make sharp
- köszörülto make sharp
Indonesian mengasah
- mengasahto make sharp
Irish faobhraigh, géaraigh
- faobhraighto make sharp
- géaraighto make sharp
Italian arrotare, affilare
- arrotareto make sharp
- affilareto make sharp
- molareto make sharp
- affinareto make sharp
Japanese 研ぐ, 削る
- 研ぐ (togu)to make sharp
- 削る (kezuru)to make sharp
Latin acuō, cuspidō
- acuōto make sharp
- cuspidōto make sharp
Malay asah
- asahto make sharp
Māori oroi, whakakoi
- oroito make sharp
- whakakoito make sharp
- whakarataratato make sharp
- whakangangahuto make sharp
Norwegian Bokmål skjerpe, kvesse
- skjerpeto make sharp
- kvesseto make sharp
- hvesseto make sharp
Polish ostrzyć, naostrzyć
- ostrzyćto make sharp
- naostrzyćto make sharp
- temperowaćto make sharp
- natemperowaćto make sharp
- zatemperowaćto make sharp
Portuguese afiar, apontar
- afiarto make sharp
- apontarto make sharp
Romanian ascuți
- ascuțito make sharp
Russian точи́ть, заточи́ть
- точи́ть (točítʹ)to make sharp
- заточи́ть (zatočítʹ)to make sharp
- наточи́ть (natočítʹ)to make sharp
- поточи́ть (potočítʹ)to make sharp
Spanish afilar, tajar
- afilarto make sharp
- tajarto make sharp
- sacarle punta ato make sharp
- hacer/poner más nítidoto make sharp
- reseguirto make sharp
Swedish vässa
- vässato make sharp
Tamil சீவு
- சீவு (cīvu)to make sharp
Thai ลับ, เหลา
- ลับ (láp)to make sharp
- เหลา (lǎo)to make sharp
Turkish keskinleştirmek, açmak
- keskinleştirmekto make sharp
- açmakto make sharp
Ukrainian заго́стрювати, загостри́ти
- заго́стрювати (zahóstrjuvaty)to make sharp
- загостри́ти (zahostrýty)to make sharp
Vietnamese mài, vót
- màito make sharp
- vótto make sharp
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with sharpen
All rhymes →Cite this entry
sharpen. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sharpen
“sharpen.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sharpen. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sharpen,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sharpen.
Source: sharpen on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.