unbend

/'ʌn'bend/

Thân thiện

He likes to unbend by taking a long walk in the park.

Definition

1. Verb (transitive):

   • To make straight or less curved: To change something from a bent, curved, or flexed position to a straight one.
   • To release from tension or strain: To free from mental or physical tension, rigidity, or formality.
   • To unfasten or loosen: To detach or release something that is secured, especially in nautical contexts.

2. Verb (intransitive):

   • To become straight or less curved: To change from a bent or flexed position to a straight one.
   • To relax or become less tense: To become less rigid, formal, or stressed, either physically or mentally.

Usage Examples

• Verb (transitive):

  • He tried to unbend the wire, but it had been twisted too many times.
  • After the meeting, she needed a walk to unbend her mind from the intense negotiations.
  • The sailor went to unbend the sail from the boom.

• Verb (intransitive):

  • The old pipe wouldn't unbend, no matter how much force we applied.
  • It took him a few minutes to unbend and start enjoying the party after a stressful day at work.

Advanced Usage

• "To unbend oneself": To relax one's posture or demeanor; to become less formal or stiff.

  • The professor finally unbent himself and told a funny story to the students.

• In a figurative sense: To become more affable, genial, or less severe in attitude.

  • The strict manager began to unbend once he got to know his team better.

Variants and Related Words

• Unbent: The simple past and past participle form of 'unbend'.
  • The metal had unbent slightly in the heat.
• Unbending (Adjective): Inflexible, rigid, or refusing to change one's attitude.
  • He was unbending in his principles. (Note: This is a related adjective with a distinct, often opposite, meaning to the verb's sense of relaxing.)

Synonyms

• Straighten: To make or become straight.
• Relax: To make or become less tense or rigid.
• Loosen: To make less tight or strict.
• Unwind: To relax after a period of work or tension.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: 'Unbend' itself is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. Its meanings are typically expressed directly.)

Related Idioms

• "Unbend the bow": A figurative expression meaning to relax or ease tension after a period of strain or effort. It originates from the literal act of relaxing a bowstring.
  • The holiday was a chance for him to unbend the bow after a year of relentless work.

Học thuật

Verb

1. release from mental strain, tension, or formality
   • unbend the mind from absorbing too much information
2. become less tense, rest, or take one's ease
   • He relaxed in the hot tub
   • Let's all relax after a hard day's work
3. make less taut
   • relax the tension on the rope
4. free from flexure
   • unbend a bow
5. unfasten, as a sail, from a spar or a stay
6. straighten up or out; make straight

Từ đồng nghĩa

• relax
• loosen up
• unwind
• decompress
• slow down
• straighten