Meaning

A device for making things sharp..

Definitions by Sense

1. A device for making things sharp.
2. (figurative) That which makes something sharp.
3. (informal) An alcoholic drink taken at the start of the day, or just before a meal.

Example Sentences

There was a pencil sharpener at the front of the classroom.

“Sir,” said the shepherd, “poverty is a great sharpener of the wits. […]

The snuff-box, knife, and chicken-bones were again in requisition, and a pen was successfully formed. The ink, or at least its substitute, was rather more difficult, but necessity is always a sharpener of intellect, and even this was accomplished.

The summery G&T somehow loses its clink-clink-fizz perfection as an after-work sharpener and just seems to rub our noses in the dank gloom ahead.

And the new daycap has little in common with the stiff gin of the old-fashioned sharpener. Instead, it revolves around “spritz culture, mood-based cocktails, and small serves that tap into the sweet treat economy”.

Word Forms

• sharpeners

Related Words

When Should You Use Sharpener?

Use sharpener when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

Practice This Word

Frequently Asked Questions