lightening

[ lahyt-n-ing ]

/ ˈlaɪt n ɪŋ /

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See synonyms for: lightening / lightenings on Thesaurus.com

noun Medicine/Medical.

the descent of the uterus into the pelvic cavity, occurring toward the end of pregnancy, changing the contour of the abdomen and facilitating breathing by lessening pressure under the diaphragm.

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Origin of lightening

First recorded in 1520–30; lighten² + -ing¹

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH lightening

lightening , lightning

Words nearby lightening

light draft, light-duty, light-emitting diode, lighten, light engine, lightening, lighten up, lighter, lighterage, lighter fluid, lighterman

How to use lightening in a sentence

To my surprise, I also noticed a visible lightening of sun damage and brighter skin after just a few uses.
Skip the Pricey Microdermabrasion Appointments and Use This Luxe Exfoliating Cream Instead|Erica Radol|April 4, 2022|The Daily Beast
The organization runs programs to educate young girls of color about online safety, healthy digital behaviors, and the dangers of physical skin lightening.
How digital beauty filters perpetuate colorism|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 15, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Few people are willing to admit or speak openly about this aspect of their skin care regimen, as it is generally frowned upon by society even as the lighter skin that one is born with or comes as a result of skin lightening is elevated in society.
The skin lightening business is booming in Kenya—though no one will admit it|Kang-Chun Cheng|August 11, 2021|Quartz
Attempts to contact the leaders of Eastern Lightening to comment on these allegations were unsuccessful.
Is This The Scariest Doomsday Sect in China?|Brendon Hong|June 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In recent times, Zwarte Piet has become a lightening rod for issues of Dutch identity and multicultural tolerance.
Amsterdam’s Racist Black Pete Parade Under Fire|Cíntia Taylor|November 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He believes that the plane was hit by a bolt of lightening and went down in deep water.
Missoni Family: Chance He’s Alive|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Buckling down to tie-up loose ends is key to lightening your mental load.
The Stars Predict Your Week|Starsky + Cox|October 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST
By five in the morning, the sky was lightening, and we trudged back toward Christopher Street, where I could catch a train home.
The Amazing Superheroes of New York City|Matthew Shaer|August 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It was as if some spirit that had breathed on him, sustaining him, lightening his incipient heaviness, had been removed.
The Creators|May Sinclair
Michael sighed under a faint lightening of his load, and Stella came up to him engagingly to slip her arm into his.
Sinister Street, vol. 1|Compton Mackenzie
He pointed with shaking fingers away toward the east, where a faint gleam of daylight was lightening the sky.
The New Tenant|E. Phillips Oppenheim
May God forbid, that after all these years of darkness you should play me false now when the dawn is already lightening the sky.
Mysterious Mr. Sabin|E. Phillips Oppenheim
A soft grey twilight rested upon the sea; darker and blacker the waters seemed just then by contrast with the lightening skies.
Mysterious Mr. Sabin|E. Phillips Oppenheim

British Dictionary definitions for lightening

lightening

/ (ˈlaɪtənɪŋ) /

noun

obstetrics the sensation, experienced by many women late in pregnancy when the head of the fetus enters the pelvis, of a reduction in pressure on the diaphragm, making it easier to breathe

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

lightening

COMPARE MEANINGS

Origin of lightening

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH lightening

Words nearby lightening

Words related to lightening

How to use lightening in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lightening