What does sharpen in Spanish mean?

What is the meaning of the word sharpen in Spanish? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use sharpen in Spanish.

The word sharpen in Spanish means afilar, sacar punta, enfocar, pulir, avivar, agudizar, elevar, aumentar, avivar, mejorarse, afilar, agudizar el ingenio. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word sharpen

afilar

transitive verb (knife, blade: make sharper)

(verbo transitivo: Verbo que requiere de un objeto directo ("di la verdad", "encontré una moneda").)
Craig is sharpening the kitchen knives.
Craig está afilando los cuchillos de la cocina.

sacar punta

transitive verb (pencil: make sharper) (al lápiz)

(locución verbal: Unidad léxica estable formada de dos o más palabras que funciona como verbo ("sacar fuerzas de flaqueza", "acusar recibo").)
Tara's pencil was blunt, so she sharpened it.
El lápiz de Tara no escribía, así que le sacó punta.

enfocar

transitive verb (image: make clearer)

(verbo transitivo: Verbo que requiere de un objeto directo ("di la verdad", "encontré una moneda").)
The image was a bit blurry, so John sharpened it.
La imagen estaba un poco borrosa, así que John se puso a enfocarla.

pulir

transitive verb (figurative (skills: improve, refine)

(verbo transitivo: Verbo que requiere de un objeto directo ("di la verdad", "encontré una moneda").)
Susan is taking a course to sharpen her writing skills.
Susan está haciendo un curso para pulir su habilidad como escritora.

avivar

intransitive verb (debate, disagreement: intensify)

(verbo intransitivo: Verbo que no requiere de un objecto directo (Él no llegó", "corrí a casa").)
The couple's disagreement sharpened to the point where they decided to divorce.

agudizar

transitive verb (mind, senses: make more acute) (figurado, sentidos)

(verbo transitivo: Verbo que requiere de un objeto directo ("di la verdad", "encontré una moneda").)
The strong coffee sharpened Carl's mind and helped him concentrate on the problem.
El café bien cargado agudizó la mente de Carl y le ayudó a concentrarse en el problema.

elevar

transitive verb (musical note: raise by semitone)

(verbo transitivo: Verbo que requiere de un objeto directo ("di la verdad", "encontré una moneda").)
I think the piece would sound better if you sharpened that note.
Creo que la pieza sonaría mejor si elevases esa nota.

aumentar

transitive verb (competition: increase)

(verbo transitivo: Verbo que requiere de un objeto directo ("di la verdad", "encontré una moneda").)

avivar

transitive verb (debate, disagreement: make more intense)

(verbo transitivo: Verbo que requiere de un objeto directo ("di la verdad", "encontré una moneda").)

mejorarse

phrasal verb, intransitive (figurative (improve skills or performance)

(verbo pronominal: Verbo que se conjuga con un pronombre átono ("me", "te", "se") que concuerda con el sujeto ("lavarse", "irse", "enojarse"). )
Robert needs to sharpen up if he's going to pass his exams.
Esos inconvenientes te hacen más fuerte, te ayudan a superarte.

afilar

phrasal verb, transitive, separable (figurative (hone, refine) (figurado)

(verbo transitivo: Verbo que requiere de un objeto directo ("di la verdad", "encontré una moneda").)

agudizar el ingenio

verbal expression (make smarter)

(locución verbal: Unidad léxica estable formada de dos o más palabras que funciona como verbo ("sacar fuerzas de flaqueza", "acusar recibo").)
I find that doing crosswords sharpens my wits.
Me di cuenta de que hacer crucigramas agudiza mi ingenio.

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Do you know about Spanish

Spanish (español), also known as Castilla, is a language of the Iberian-Romance group of the Romance languages, and the 4th most common language in the world according to Some sources, while others list it as a 2nd or 3rd most common language. It is the mother tongue of about 352 million people, and is spoken by 417 million people when adding its speakers as a language. sub (estimated in 1999). Spanish and Portuguese have very similar grammar and vocabulary; The number of similar vocabulary of these two languages is up to 89%. Spanish is the primary language of 20 countries around the world. It is estimated that the total number of speakers of Spanish is between 470 and 500 million, making it the second most widely spoken language in the world by number of native speakers.