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View synonyms for lighten

lighten

1

[ lahyt-n ]

verb (used without object)

  1. to become lighter or less dark; brighten:

    The sky lightened after the storm.

  2. to brighten or light up, as the eyes or features:

    Her face lightened when she heard the good news.

  3. to flash as or like lightning (often used impersonally with it as subject):

    It thundered and lightened for hours.

  4. Archaic. to shine, gleam, or be bright:

    steel blades lightening in the sun.



verb (used with object)

  1. to give light to; illuminate:

    A full moon lightened the road.

  2. to brighten (the eyes, features, etc.):

    A large smile lightened his face.

  3. to make lighter or less dark:

    Add white to lighten the paint.

  4. Obsolete. enlighten.
  5. Obsolete. to flash or emit like lightning (usually followed by out, forth, or down ):

    eyes that lightened forth implacable hatred.

lighten

2

[ lahyt-n ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to make lighter in weight:

    to lighten the load on a truck.

  2. to lessen the load of or upon:

    to lighten a cargo ship.

  3. to make less burdensome or oppressive; alleviate; mitigate:

    to lighten taxes;

    to lighten someone's cares.

    Synonyms: reduce, lessen, ease

    Antonyms: aggravate

  4. to cheer or gladden:

    Such news lightens my heart.

verb (used without object)

  1. to become less severe, stringent, or harsh; ease up:

    Border inspections have lightened recently.

  2. to become less heavy, cumbersome, burdensome, oppressive, etc.:

    His worries seem to have lightened somewhat.

  3. to become less gloomy; perk up:

    People's spirits usually lighten when spring arrives.

lighten

1

/ ˈlaɪtən /

verb

  1. to become or make light
  2. intr to shine; glow
  3. intr (of lightning) to flash
  4. tr an archaic word for enlighten
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

lighten

2

/ ˈlaɪtən /

verb

  1. to make or become less heavy
  2. to make or become less burdensome or oppressive; mitigate
  3. to make or become more cheerful or lively
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Words From

  • lighten·er noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of lighten1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English lightnen; light 1, -en 1

Origin of lighten2

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English lightnen; light 2, -en 1
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Example Sentences

Rahman in India when she noticed lightened patches of skin on her back and under her bra line.

But as they involve characters talking about revolution — once again, it’s the Rebels vs. the Empire — they don’t exactly lighten it.

They added that the NHS needed to hire more consultants, ask other staff to take on some of their work and invest in technologies such as artificial intelligence to lighten the load.

From BBC

Some mood lightening seemed in order given how far the team has come since its 1-5 start.

Scientists had two choices - use a heavier rocket to carry the mission, but that would cost more, or remove some of the hardware to lighten the load.

From BBC

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