heightened(形容词/过去分词)指“提高了的、增强了的、加剧的”,常用来描述情绪、警觉、紧张、风险、关注度等被“抬高到更强程度”的状态。(也可理解为动词 heighten 的过去式/过去分词形式。)
/ˈhaɪtənd/
The guards were on heightened alert.
警卫处于更高等级的警戒状态。
In the weeks after the scandal, the company faced heightened scrutiny from regulators and the public, forcing it to change its practices.
丑闻发生后的几周里,公司遭到监管机构和公众更严格的审查,被迫改变做法。
来自动词 heighten(“使更高;使增强”),由 height(高度)+ 动词后缀 -en(表示“使成为、使变得”)构成。heightened 作为过去分词/形容词,强调“程度被提升、被强化之后”的结果状态。