To grow bright or more bright; become less dark or gloomy: literally or figuratively. Like the sun emerging from a cloud, Her countenance brightens, and her eye expands. Wordsworth, Laodamia.The great sweep of the Coliseum, with the blue sky brightening through its upper tier of arches. Hawthorne, Marble Faun, i.
To make bright or brighter in any manner; shed light on; make to shine; increase the luster of. Her celestial eyes Adorn the world and brighten up the skies. Dryden.
To dispel gloom from; cheer; make gay or cheerful: as, to brighten prospects. This makes Jack brighten up the room wherever he enters, and changes the severity of the company into … gaiety and good humour. Steele, Tatler, No. 206.
I wish you could have seen Aunt Esther's eyes brighten, and mother's pale face all in a smile, and father, as I unfolded the letter and began.
—
The Life of Harriet Beecher Stowe
I was still kneeling by the gulph in prayer when the cliffs began to brighten, and the beams of the morning sun to strike against me.
—
Dreams Waking Thoughts and Incidents
But then Dubrovnik seemed to brighten, and before I could lunge forward he took a step backwards, stiffened his body, and leapt through the huge, gleaming, shimmering pane of glass.
—
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine
If a face so shaded can brighten, his face brightens somewhat; and by little and little he eats the slice of bread he had so hopelessly laid down.
—
Bleak House