[verb]Her eyes brightened (= looked happier and more hopeful) when she saw the letter on the floor. [I]Market prospects, he reassured his audience, had brightened (= started to give more cause for hope) in the last twelve months. [I]There are, however, one or two items of good news to brighten (= cause to look more hopeful) the economic picture a bit. [T]
BRIGHTEN
Meaning of BRIGHTEN in English
Cambridge English vocab. Кембриджский английский словарь. 2012