Sharpen

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɑː(r)pÉ™n

Origin

sharp + -en

Full definition of sharpen

Verb

1. (transitive) To make sharp
   to sharpen a pencil or a knife
• Edmund Burke (1729-1797)He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill.
• 2013-07-26, Leo Hickman, How algorithms rule the world, The 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.

Antonyms

• blunt

Derived terms

• sharpener