Home › Words › S › steepensteepen/ˈstiː.pən/steepen means to make steeper.Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, steepen ranks #3,411 of 42,747 for Qualifying.steepen is pronounced /ˈstiː.pən/.EtymologyFrom steep + -en. Compare Old English stīepan (“to steepen”).verbTo make steeper.To become steeper.e.g.“As the way steepened […] I could detect in the hollow of the hill some traces of the old path.”Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.steepening 80% match — The process of becoming steeper. vs steepen →ensteep 71% match — To steep or submerge. vs steepen →steeper 70% match — A vessel, vat, or cistern in which things are steeped. vs steepen →deepen 67% match — To make deep or deeper vs steepen →steeping 66% match — An instance of something being steeped; a wetting. vs steepen →depthen 65% match — To increase the depth of; make deep or deeper vs steepen →depthening 64% match — The act or process of making (something) deeper. vs steepen →sharpen 61% match — To make sharp. vs steepen →