unwound
Definition
- Verb (past tense of 'unwind'):
- To undo something that is wound or coiled: To reverse the winding of something, such as a thread, wire, or rope.
- To relax after a period of tension or stress: To become free from anxiety, worry, or strain; to calm down.
Usage Examples
Literal (undoing a coil):
- She carefully unwound the tangled necklace from the box. (She removed the necklace by reversing its winding.)
- After the race, he unwound the rope from the pulley. (He took the rope off by undoing its coils.)
Figurative (relaxation):
- After a long day at work, he unwound by reading a book. (He relaxed and released stress.)
- The vacation helped her unwound from months of pressure. (She became calm and free from tension.)
Advanced Usage
"to be unwound" (passive construction): The state of having been undone or relaxed.
- The spool was unwound completely. (All the thread was taken off the spool.)
- He felt completely unwound after the massage. (He was fully relaxed.)
"unwind" as a transitive verb (with an object):
- She unwound the bandage from his arm. (She removed the bandage by reversing its wrap.)
- The child unwound the toy's winding key. (The child turned the key backwards to release the spring.)
Variants and Related Words
Unwind (verb, present tense): to undo or relax.
- I need to unwind after a stressful meeting. (I need to relax.)
Unwinding (noun): the process of undoing a coil or relaxing.
- The unwinding of the rope took several minutes. (The action of uncoiling the rope.)
Unwound (adjective): in a relaxed state; not wound.
- He sat in an unwound posture, leaning back. (He was physically relaxed.)
Synonyms
Loosen: to make less tight or firm.
- She loosened the knot to unwound the string. (She made it less tight.)
Uncoil: to release from a coiled position.
- The snake uncoiled itself slowly. (The snake unwound its body.)
Relax: to become less tense or anxious.
- He relaxed his shoulders to unwound. (He released muscle tension.)
Phrasal Verbs
- Unwind from: to separate or detach by undoing a coil.
- She unwound the thread from the spool. (She removed the thread by reversing the winding.)
Related Idioms
- Unwind the clock: to reverse time or undo past events (metaphorical).
- If only we could unwound the clock and fix our mistakes. (If we could go back in time to correct errors.)