lighten up

Idioms  

1. Become or cause to become less serious or gloomy, and more cheerful. For example, Lighten up, Sam—it'll turn out all right. This slangy expression transfers reducing a physical weight to a change of mood or attitude.

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Example Sentences

I felt as if I were gazing into the future: Aunt Kitty looked like a cranky old matron, which was exactly what she was headed for if she didn’t start to lighten up.

From Literature

Or did the embrace of “Rocky” and “Jaws” mean that audiences wanted their movies to lighten up?

From The Wall Street Journal

“What’s the alternative?” the ad asks, “lightening up and being fun?”

From Los Angeles Times

“It sort of lightens up in color again once it plumps up with all that syrup.”

From Salon

“But for us to be worried about two little numbers, you know, maybe it’s this generation telling us to lighten up a little.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• acquiesce
• capitulate
• cave in
• come around
• comply
• ease off
• give in
• give up
• let go
• quit
• relax
• slacken
• soften
• subside