unbend
Americanverb (used with object)
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to straighten from a bent form or position.
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to release from the strain of formality, intense effort, etc.; relax.
to unbend one's mind.
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to release from tension, as a bow.
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Nautical.
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to loose or untie, as a sail or rope.
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to unfasten from spars or stays, as sails.
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verb (used without object)
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to relax the strictness of formality or ceremony; act in an easy, genial manner.
Imagine him unbending!
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to become unbent; straighten.
verb
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to release or be released from the restraints of formality and ceremony
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informal to relax (the mind) or (of the mind) to become relaxed
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to become or be made straightened out from an originally bent shape or position
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(tr) nautical
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to remove (a sail) from a stay, mast, yard, etc
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to untie (a rope, etc) or cast (a cable) loose
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unbend
Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at un- 2, bend 1
Explanation
When you make something straight, you unbend it. If your knees are stiff, it can be hard to unbend them after sitting cross-legged on the floor for a while. To straighten something bent or twisted is to unbend it. You can finally unbend your arm once you get that cast off! And when you relax or loosen up, you figuratively unbend: "It'll be nice to take it easy this weekend, and finally unbend after a long, busy week." The original meaning of this verb was "relax a bow by unstringing it," from the word bend and its earliest definition, "bend a bow."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If sailor-like you'd play your cards, Unbend your sails and lower your yards, Unstep your masts—you'll never want 'em more.
From The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan by Gilbert, W. S. (William Schwenck), Sir
Unbend your brow; relax the stern melancholy of your regard; permit a friend, a sincere, affectionate friend, I will be one, to convey some relief, some momentary pause to your sufferings.
From Mathilda by Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft
Unbend that brow, sir! nor dare to address your parent in that insolent tone!
From The Rector of St. Mark's by Holmes, Mary Jane
Unbend the rope from his neck, my padre, and hitch it on to that Manilla chair.
From Captain Brand of the "Centipede" A Pirate of Eminence in the West Indies: His Love and Exploits, Together with Some Account of the Singular Manner by Which He Departed This Life by Wise, H. A. (Henry Augustus)
Unbend that brow, and think alone of me, And in these smiles forget— War.
From Joan of Arc A Play in Five Acts by Sargant, Jane Alice
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
