Dictionary.com
definitions

unbent

[ uhn-bent ]
/ ʌnˈbɛnt /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unbent ON THESAURUS.COM

verb

simple past tense and past participle of unbend.

adjective

not bent; unbowed.
not having yielded or submitted.

RELATED WORDS

short, straightforward, solid, smooth, successive, consecutive, nonstop, true, unwind, recline, soften, calm, breathe, relax, lean, deign, rectify, uncoil, loosen, defrost

Nearby words

  1. unbeliever,
  2. unbelieving,
  3. unbelt,
  4. unbend,
  5. unbending,
  6. unbeseeming,
  7. unbias,
  8. unbiased,
  9. unbiblical,
  10. unbidden

Origin of unbent

1475–85; (in defs 2, 3) un-1 + bent1

Definition for unbent (2 of 2)

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.
  1. to loose or untie, as a sail or rope.
  2. 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.

Origin of unbend

Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at un-2, bend1
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 unbent

British Dictionary definitions for unbent (1 of 2)

unbent

/ (ʌnˈbɛnt) /

verb

the past tense and past participle of unbend

adjective

not bent or bowed
not compelled to yield or give way by force

British Dictionary definitions for unbent (2 of 2)

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
  1. to remove (a sail) from a stay, mast, yard, etc
  2. 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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for unbent

unbend

v.

"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