deepen

/'di:pən/

Thân thiện

His voice began to deepen when he was 12 years old.

Definition

1. Verb (transitive):

   • To make something deeper: To increase the depth of a physical space or object.
   • To make something more intense, profound, or stronger: To increase the degree, strength, or seriousness of a feeling, state, understanding, or color.

2. Verb (intransitive):

   • To become deeper: To increase in depth physically.
   • To become more intense, profound, or stronger: To increase in degree, strength, or seriousness.

Usage and Examples

• Transitive Verb (to make deeper/more intense):

  • They had to deepen the foundation for the new building. (They made the foundation physically deeper.)
  • The experience deepened her appreciation for classical music. (It made her appreciation stronger and more profound.)
  • The artist deepened the blue in the painting. (The artist made the blue color more intense.)

• Intransitive Verb (to become deeper/more intense):

  • The river deepens near the bend. (The river becomes physically deeper.)
  • His concern for her safety deepened with each passing hour. (His concern became stronger.)
  • Her voice deepened as she spoke. (Her voice became lower in tone.)

Advanced Usage

• "Deepen one's understanding/knowledge": To make one's comprehension more thorough and complete.

  • Reading primary sources helps to deepen your understanding of historical events.

• "Deepen a relationship": To make a personal connection stronger, more meaningful, or more intimate.

  • Sharing difficult experiences can deepen a friendship.

• "Deepen a crisis": To make a problematic situation more severe.

  • The sudden economic sanctions threatened to deepen the humanitarian crisis.

Variants and Related Words

• Deep (adj): Having great depth; intense or profound.
  • a deep well, deep thought
• Depth (n): The distance from the top or surface to the bottom; intellectual complexity or intensity.
  • the depth of the ocean, the depth of her analysis

Synonyms

• Intensify: To become or make more intense.
• Strengthen: To make or become stronger.
• Heighten: To make or become more intense.
• Augment: To make greater in size or intensity.

Antonyms

• Shallow (v/adj): To make or become less deep; lacking depth.
• Lessen: To make or become less.
• Weaken: To make or become less strong.

Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Deepen" is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. Its meaning is typically expressed directly.)

Related Idioms

• "To deepen the plot": Often used metaphorically to describe a situation, especially in a story, becoming more complex or mysterious.
  • The detective's discovery only served to deepen the plot.

Học thuật

Verb

1. become deeper in tone
   • His voice began to change when he was 12 years old
   • Her voice deepened when she whispered the password
2. make deeper
   • They deepened the lake so that bigger pleasure boats could use it
3. become more intense
   • The debate intensified
   • His dislike for raw fish only deepened in Japan
4. make more intense, stronger, or more marked
   • The efforts were intensified, Her rudeness intensified his dislike for her
   • Pot smokers claim it heightens their awareness
   • This event only deepened my convictions

Từ đồng nghĩa

• change
• intensify
• compound
• heighten