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
- unbendable adjective
Etymology
Origin of unbend
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.
Mr. George’s departure from the Heritage board means that the institution may be less likely to heed his call to be “unbending and unflinching” in its fidelity to these principles.
It was Wayne — America’s biggest movie star, the self-reliant enforcer, the loping lawman who set the world to rights by virtue of his unbending fortitude.
From Los Angeles Times
In his one shot at the Champions League, Postecoglou was unbending in his attacking mindset even when drawn against Real Madrid.
From BBC
She’s watchful, she’s contained, inhabiting the character’s resilience and giving her a core of unbending steel.
From Seattle Times
An ironic observer with an unbending will, he prefers the quiet freedom of his own thoughts to the aggressive clamor of those around him who mistakenly believe they can control how he thinks.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
