lighten
verb
Definitions of lighten verb
brightness
- Intransitive
To become less dark; to grow lighter in color or shade.
The sky began to lighten as the sun rose.
The color of the sky started to lighten as the rain ceased.
After hours of darkness, the sky finally began to lighten.
color
- Transitive
To make something lighter in color or shade.
I used bleach to lighten the color of my shirt.
This hair dye will lighten the shade of your hair.
She adjusted the camera settings to lighten the image.
mood
- TransitiveIntransitive
To become or cause to become happier and less worried; to relieve.
His spirits lightened immediately upon hearing the good news.
She tried to lighten the serious atmosphere with humor.
He felt his mood lighten considerably after talking with his friend.
Phrases of lighten verb
- lighten someone's burden, load, etc.
To make a difficult situation, responsibility, or obligation easier to manage.
• Adding an assistant will significantly lighten his work burden.
Phrasal Verbs of lighten
- lighten up
to adopt a more relaxed attitude and not take things too seriously
• At the party, he reminded everyone to lighten up and not take things too seriously.
- lighten something up
to render a speech or a piece of writing more relaxed and less formal
• During the meeting, we decided to share some funny stories to lighten things up.