LIGHTEN


Meaning of LIGHTEN in English

light ‧ en /ˈlaɪtn/ BrE AmE verb

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ light , ↑ lighter , ↑ lighting , ↑ lightness ; adjective : ↑ light , ↑ lighted , ↑ unlit ; verb : ↑ light , ↑ lighten ; adverb : ↑ lightly , ↑ light ]

1 . [transitive] to reduce the amount of work, worry, debt etc that someone has OPP increase

lighten the load/burden/workload

We should hire another secretary to lighten Barbara’s workload.

2 . [intransitive and transitive] to become brighter or less dark, or to make something brighter etc OPP darken :

As the sky lightened, we were able to see where we were.

3 . [intransitive and transitive] if you lighten something such as a mood or ↑ atmosphere , or if it lightens, it becomes less sad or serious

lighten the atmosphere/mood/conversation

Nora didn’t respond to my attempts to lighten the conversation.

4 . [intransitive] if someone’s face or expression lightens, they begin to look more cheerful:

His whole face would lighten when anyone mentioned Nancy.

5 . [intransitive and transitive] to reduce the weight of something, or to become less heavy

6 . lighten up spoken used to tell someone not to be so serious about something:

You need to lighten up a bit.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.