deepen
B2Neutral to formal. Common in written analysis, reporting, and formal discussion.
Definition
Meaning
To become or make deeper or more profound.
To make something more intense, serious, severe, or complete; to increase in depth or complexity.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
A causative verb (to make deep) that can be used both literally (physical depth) and figuratively (emotional, intellectual, or situational intensity). It often implies a gradual or continuous process.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical or syntactic differences. Spelling conventions (e.g., -ise/-ize) may apply to derived forms like 'deepening' but the verb base is identical.
Connotations
Identical.
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in UK academic and journalistic prose according to corpus data, but the difference is marginal.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[NP] deepens[NP] deepens [NP][NP] is deepened by [NP]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “deepen the plot”
- “to deepen one's pockets (rare, figurative)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used to describe worsening market conditions or strengthening partnerships: 'The recession served to deepen the company's financial woes.'
Academic
Common in discussing analysis, comprehension, or research: 'The study aims to deepen our understanding of cognitive processes.'
Everyday
Often used for emotions, relationships, or physical changes: 'The cracks in the wall seem to deepen every winter.'
Technical
In geography/oceanography for physical depth; in IT for data analysis or learning algorithms.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The government's failure to act will only deepen the social divide.
- He used a shovel to deepen the trench before laying the pipe.
American English
- The new data only deepens the mystery surrounding the phenomenon.
- We need to deepen the harbor to accommodate larger ships.
adverb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adjective
British English
- N/A (deepening is a participle adjective: 'a deepening crisis').
American English
- N/A (deepening is a participle adjective: 'the deepening shadows of evening').
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The water deepens in the middle of the lake.
- His voice started to deepen when he was thirteen.
- The economic problems are beginning to deepen.
- Reading history books can deepen your knowledge of the past.
- The investigation served to deepen public suspicion about the administration's motives.
- Therapy helped them deepen their emotional connection.
- The treaty was designed to deepen political and economic integration between the member states.
- Her research delves into archival material to deepen the historiographical critique.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of DEEP + EN = to make or become DEEP. Just as 'widen' makes wide, 'deepen' makes deep.
Conceptual Metaphor
KNOWLEDGE/UNDERSTANDING/RELATIONSHIPS ARE CONTAINERS (we deepen them to hold more). PROBLEMS/CRISES ARE HOLES (they deepen, making escape harder).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque from 'углублять' for all contexts; for skills/knowledge, 'improve' or 'develop' may be more natural. 'Deepen a hole' is literal; 'deepen a relationship' is figurative, but Russian might use 'укреплять' (strengthen).
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'We need to deepen our knowledge more.' (redundant) Correct: 'We need to deepen our knowledge.'
- Incorrect use with non-gradable concepts: 'deepen the truth' (unnatural).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'deepen' used in a PURELY literal sense?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it is regular: deepen, deepened, deepened.
Yes, it can be intransitive (e.g., 'The crisis deepened.') or transitive (e.g., 'She deepened the hole.').
They are often synonyms, but 'deepen' strongly implies adding layers, complexity, or profoundness (often metaphorical depth), while 'intensify' focuses more on increasing degree, strength, or force.
No, it is incorrect. 'Deepen' is a verb, not an adjective. Use 'deepen further' or 'deepen more' (though 'more' is often redundant), or use a comparative adjective with 'deep': 'The channel needs to be made deeper/more deep.'