unbend
[ uhn-bend ]
/ ʌnˈbɛnd /
verb (used with object), un·bent or (Archaic) un·bend·ed, un·bend·ing.
to straighten from a bent form or position.
to release from the strain of formality, intense effort, etc.; relax: to unbend one's mind.
to release from tension, as a bow.
Nautical.
- to loose or untie, as a sail or rope.
- to unfasten from spars or stays, as sails.
verb (used without object), un·bent or (Archaic) un·bend·ed, un·bend·ing.
to relax the strictness of formality or ceremony; act in an easy, genial manner: Imagine him unbending!
to become unbent; straighten.
Nearby words
Related formsun·bend·a·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for unbend
British Dictionary definitions for unbend
unbend
/ (ʌnˈbɛnd) /
verb -bends, -bending or -bent
to release or be released from the restraints of formality and ceremony
informal to relax (the mind) or (of the mind) to become relaxed
to become or be made straightened out from an originally bent shape or position
(tr) nautical
- to remove (a sail) from a stay, mast, yard, etc
- to untie (a rope, etc) or cast (a cable) loose
Derived Formsunbendable, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for unbend
unbend
"to relax a bow by unstringing it," mid-13c., from un- (2) + bend (v.). Figurative meaning "to become genial, relax" (1748) has a sense opposite to that of unbending "inflexible, obstinate" (1680s), which does not derive from the bowstringing image.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper