Synonyms of sharpened

sharpened 1 of 2

adjective

as in sharp

having an edge thin enough to cut or pierce something

the sharpened blade of a lawn mower

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sharp
• cutting
• honed
• edged
• jagged
• ground
• trenchant
• whetted
• keen
• stropped
• edgy
• piercing
• pointed
• stabbing
• knifelike
• scratching
• clawlike
• lacerating
• spiky
• pointy
• daggerlike
• jabbing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• blunt
• dull
• smooth
• rounded
• dulled
• blunted
• soft
• obtuse
• level
• flat
• even
• slick

sharpened

2 of 2

verb

past tense of sharpen

as in edged

to make sharp or sharper

you need to sharpen your penknife's blade frequently in order to be able to whittle properly

Synonyms & Similar Words

• edged
• ground
• filed
• whetted
• honed
• stoned
• stropped

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• blunted
• dulled
• rounded
• polished
• smoothed
• glossed
• burnished
• buffed

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sharpened

Verb

His battle with Stage 4 oral cancer brought the contours of his life into stark relief, sharpened by seven weeks of radiation and chemotherapy. — Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Emotionally, though, Proposition 40 has sharpened people’s views of billionaires—as heroic innovators and job creators, or as oligarchical resource hogs. — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026

The decision to wind down Cruise and refocus on personal autonomy sharpened the company’s priorities, Barra said. — Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026

Meanwhile, in England and the United States and across continental Europe, statutes that punished idleness sharpened into vagrancy laws that gave police discretionary power to identify when a form of nonaction constituted criminal disorder. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

An executive at Johnson Controls with experience as a project architect and manager, Kozlowski said his professional background had sharpened his approach to city projects, management and decision-making. — Haley Parsley, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2026

The push to diversify marks a shift in the strategy Doustdar laid out after taking over as CEO last year, when Novo sharpened its focus on its core obesity and diabetes businesses and moved away from expanding into new areas. — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026

Israel’s recognition has sharpened that dispute, turning Somaliland’s push for wider recognition into a more consequential challenge to Somalia’s territorial claims. — Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026

And their pitching infrastructure, which originated under current New York Mets president David Stearns and was sharpened under senior vice president and general manager Matt Arnold, continues to be a model for the sport. — Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026