lighten

verb
UK: /ˈlaɪtn/
US: /ˈlaɪtn/

  1. To make something lighter in color.

    1. I will lighten this photo.
    2. She used bleach to lighten her dark hair considerably before the party.

  2. To make something less heavy.

    1. Let me help lighten your bag
    2. The airline managed to lighten the aircraft's load by removing excess equipment.

  3. To make something less serious or stressful.

    1. Let's lighten the mood a bit.
    2. The comedian tried to lighten the atmosphere after the tense announcement.

  4. To reduce the amount or intensity of something.

    1. We need to lighten the workload
    2. The government decided to lighten restrictions on foreign investments to boost the economy.

Synonyms

whiten bleach fade alleviate ease reduce relieve brighten illuminate cheer
lighten intransitive-verb

  1. Become lighter or brighter.

    1. The sky will lighten soon.
    2. The room began to lighten as the sun rose above the distant mountains.

  2. Become less heavy.

    1. My heart will lighten without you
    2. His burden seemed to lighten as he shared his troubles with a trusted friend.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "lighten" in English means: To make something lighter in color., To make something less heavy., To make something less serious or stressful., To reduce the amount or intensity of something..

The phonetic transcription of "lighten" is /ˈlaɪtn/ in British English and /ˈlaɪtn/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "lighten": whiten, bleach, fade, alleviate, ease, reduce, relieve, brighten, illuminate, cheer.

Example usage of "lighten": "I will lighten this photo.". More examples on the page.