lighten

1 make more cheerful [syn: buoy up] [ant: weigh down]

2 make more cheerful [syn: buoy up]

3 make lighter or brighter; "The paint will brighten the room" [syn: brighten, lighten up] [ant: darken]

4 become brighter; "The sky brightened" [syn: brighten] [ant: darken]

5 become lighter; "The room lightened up" [syn: lighten up]

English

Etymology

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aɪtən

Verb

1. To become light or lighter in weight.
2. To become less serious or more cheerful.
3. To make light or lighter in weight.
4. To make less serious or more cheerful.
5. To alleviate; to reduce the burden of.
6. To become brighter or clearer; to brighten.
7. To make brighter or clearer; to illuminate.

Derived terms

• lighten up

Translations

abate, allay, alleviate, assuage, attemper, attenuate, bank the fire, be light, beacon, blunt, break, brighten, brighten up, chasten, cheer up, constrain, control, damp, dampen, dawn, de-emphasize, deaden, dilute, diminish, disburden, disembarrass, disencumber, downplay, dull, ease, enlighten, extenuate, flood with light, floodlight, gladden, grow bright, grow light, have little weight, highlight, illume, illuminate, illumine, irradiate, keep within bounds, kick the beam, lay, lenify, lessen, light, light up, luminate, make light, make lighter, mitigate, moderate, modulate, mollify, obtund, off-load, overshine, palliate, play down, reduce, reduce the temperature, reduce weight, relieve, relume, relumine, restrain, set at ease, shed light upon, shine, shine upon, slacken, slow down, smile, smother, sober, sober down, soften, spotlight, stifle, subdue, suppress, tame, temper, thin, throw light upon, tone down, tune down, unballast, unburden, underplay, unfreight, unlade, unload, weaken, weigh lightly