lighten
/'laitn/
Definition
Verb (Transitive):
- To make something less heavy in weight: To reduce the physical weight of an object or load.
- To make something less dark or to brighten: To increase the amount of light in a place or on an object.
- To make something less severe, burdensome, or depressing: To alleviate pressure, stress, worry, or a somber mood.
Verb (Intransitive):
- To become less heavy in weight: To decrease in physical weight.
- To become brighter: To increase in illumination.
- To become less severe or more cheerful: To become happier or less serious in mood or tone.
Usage Examples
Verb (Transitive):
- She used a pulley to lighten the heavy crate. (She reduced the crate's effective weight.)
- We painted the walls white to lighten the dark room. (We made the room brighter.)
- His joke helped to lighten the tense atmosphere in the meeting. (His joke made the atmosphere less tense.)
Verb (Intransitive):
- Her backpack lightened as she consumed her supplies. (Her backpack became less heavy.)
- The sky began to lighten just before dawn. (The sky became brighter.)
- After talking to a friend, her mood lightened considerably. (Her mood became more cheerful.)
Advanced Usage
- "to lighten up" (phrasal verb, intransitive): To become less serious, more relaxed, or more cheerful.
- You need to lighten up and not take everything so personally. (You need to become less serious.)
- "to lighten up" (phrasal verb, transitive): To make someone or something less serious or more cheerful.
- A good comedy can lighten up your whole day. (A good comedy can make your day more cheerful.)
Variants and Related Words
- Light (adj/n/v): The base word meaning not heavy, illumination, or to ignite.
- Lightening (n): The process of making something lighter. (Note: This is different from "lightning," which is an electrical discharge in the sky.)
- Lightener (n): A substance or agent that lightens, e.g., hair lightener.
Synonyms
- Alleviate: To make (suffering, deficiency, or a problem) less severe.
- Brighten: To make or become more light or colorful; to make more cheerful.
- Ease: To make (something unpleasant or intense) less serious or severe.
- Reduce: To make smaller or less in amount, degree, or size.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Lighten up: (As defined in Advanced Usage).
- Lighten the load: To reduce the amount of work, responsibility, or burden someone has to carry.
- Hiring an assistant really helped to lighten her load. (Hiring an assistant reduced her workload.)
Related Idioms
- A lightening of the spirit: A feeling of relief from worry or sadness.
- Walking in the forest brought about a lightening of her spirit. (Walking in the forest made her feel much less sad.)
- Nothing to lighten the heart: Nothing to provide cheer or relief from gloom.
- The news was all bad, with nothing to lighten the heart. (The news was uniformly depressing.)
Verb
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alleviate or remove (pressure or stress) or make less oppressive
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relieve the pressure and the stress
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lighten the burden of caring for her elderly parents
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become lighter
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The room lightened up
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make lighter or brighter
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The paint will brighten the room
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become more cheerful
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after a glass of wine, he lightened up a bit
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reduce the weight on; make lighter
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she lightened the load on the tired donkey
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make more cheerful
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the conversation lightened me up a bit
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