heighten

Compared meaning: to increase or improve something (verb).

比较义项：提高、增加（动词）。

• raise

  Used for measurable, quantifiable things like money, prices, levels or standards; concrete and everyday in register. Not typically used for improving the quality of something.

  用于工资、价格、标准等可量化的具体事物，语域朴实、日常；通常不用于表示提升某物的质量。

  The company decided to raise everyone's salary this year.

  公司决定今年给每个人加薪。

• enhance

  Focuses on improving quality, value or appeal rather than a countable amount; used with abstract nouns like flavor, mood, experience or reputation; sounds more formal and polished.

  侧重提升质量、价值或吸引力，而非增加可数的数量；常与风味、氛围、体验、声誉等抽象名词搭配，语气更正式、精致。

  New lighting can enhance the mood of a room.

  新的灯光可以提升房间的氛围。

• heighten 本词

  Means to intensify an existing feeling, sensation or effect, such as tension, awareness or suspense; common in descriptive or literary writing, not used for numbers.

  指加强已经存在的某种感觉或效果，如紧张感、警觉性、悬念，常见于描写性或文学性文字，不用于数字。

  The dark music helped heighten the tension in the movie.

  阴暗的音乐有助于加强电影中的紧张感。

All three mean to make something greater. Raise is used for measurable things like money or prices, not its meanings 'lift up' or 'bring up children'. Enhance means improving quality or value, like flavor. Heighten means making a feeling or effect stronger, like tension.

这三个词都可以译为“提高”，但用法不同：raise 用于可量化的具体事物（如工资、价格），enhance 强调提升质量或价值，heighten 强调加强某种已有的感觉或效果（如紧张感）。这里不比较 raise 表示“举起”或“抚养”的义项。

Compared meaning: to make a feeling or effect stronger (verb).

比较义项：使（感觉、情绪、程度等）更强烈、更强（动词）。

• intensify

  The general, neutral verb for becoming or making something stronger in degree or force; used for storms, pain, conflicts, competition, feelings — the default choice in both everyday and formal English.

  语气中性、最通用的词，表示程度或力度变强／使变强；可用于暴风雨、疼痛、冲突、竞争、情绪等，是日常和正式英语中的默认选择。

  The pain in his knee began to intensify after the long hike.

  长途徒步后，他膝盖的疼痛开始加剧。

• deepen

  Suggests growing richer or more profound over time, not just stronger; typically used for relationships, emotions, understanding, mystery, or voice — implies gradual, lasting change rather than sudden force.

  强调随着时间推移变得更深厚、更深刻，而不只是力度变强；常用于人际关系、情感、理解、神秘感或嗓音，暗示渐进而持久的变化。

  Years of working together helped their friendship deepen into real trust.

  多年共事让他们的友谊逐渐加深，变成了真正的信任。

• heighten 本词

  Means to raise the degree of a sensation, emotion, or effect, usually caused by something external; common with words like sense, awareness, tension, anxiety, especially in descriptions of atmosphere or drama.

  指提高某种感觉、情绪或效果的程度，通常由外部因素引起；常与“感觉”“意识”“紧张感”“焦虑感”等词搭配，多用于描写气氛或戏剧效果。

  The dim lighting and slow music heightened the audience's sense of dread.

  昏暗的灯光和缓慢的音乐加剧了观众的恐惧感。

All three mean to make something stronger. Intensify is the general, neutral word, for a storm or conflict. Deepen suggests growing richer over time, for relationships or understanding, not water literally getting deeper. Heighten raises a feeling from outside, not literally making something taller.

这三个词都表示“变得更强／使更强”，但deepen偏向情感、关系或理解等抽象事物随时间“加深”，heighten强调由外部因素“提高”某种感觉或效果的强度，intensify则是最中性、最通用的说法，各种场合都可以用。这里不比较deepen表示“（水等）变深”的字面意思，也不比较heighten表示“使变高、加高”的字面意思。