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lighten up. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
lighten up, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
lighten up in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
lighten up you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Pronunciation
Verb
lighten up (third-person singular simple present lightens up, present participle lightening up, simple past and past participle lightened up)
- (idiomatic, intransitive, transitive) To make (something) or to become less serious and more cheerful or casual; to relax.
- Coordinate term: chill out
I wish he'd lighten up a bit and realize that we were only joking.
The mood at work has been tense, so he's looking for ways to lighten it up.
1983 August 6, Michael Bronski, “Gay Sensibility, Straight Imitation”, in Gay Community News, page 8:Sondheim's sense of life — which is pretty pessimistic (I don't think that anyone ever ends happily ever after in a Sondheim musical) — is brought through without trying to lighten it up.
2008, Adele, First Love:you lighten up my heart when I start to cry
- (transitive) To lighten (something): to decrease its weight.
- Near-synonym: slim down
He can't get any more power out of it [his drag racer], so now he's looking for ways to lighten it up.
Translations
to make or become less serious