unbend
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.
to loose or untie, as a sail or rope.
to unfasten from spars or stays, as sails.
to relax the strictness of formality or ceremony; act in an easy, genial manner: Imagine him unbending!
to become unbent; straighten.
Origin of unbend
1Other words from unbend
- un·bend·a·ble, adjective
Words Nearby unbend
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use unbend in a sentence
For some reason or other, lunch always begins a little stiffly; but they unbend as they go on.
Mushroom Town | Oliver OnionsHe promised to deliver it, and departed, wishing he could more easily unbend.
The Heir of Redclyffe | Charlotte M. YongeThe only method he took to unbend and recreate himself, was to go from one work to another.
The Life of the Truly Eminent and Learned Hugo Grotius | Jean Lvesque de BurignyThe inspection proved sufficient for the old lady to unbend and become almost human.
The Long Dim Trail | Forrestine C. HookerZebedee can get on with human oysters and clams and make animated pokers unbend.
Vacation with the Tucker Twins | Nell Speed
British Dictionary definitions for unbend
/ (ʌnˈbɛnd) /
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
to remove (a sail) from a stay, mast, yard, etc
to untie (a rope, etc) or cast (a cable) loose
Derived forms of unbend
- unbendable, 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
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