unbend

[ uhn-bend ]
See synonyms for: unbendunbendingunbent on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),un·bent or (Archaic) un·bend·ed, un·bend·ing.
  1. to straighten from a bent form or position.

  2. to release from the strain of formality, intense effort, etc.; relax: to unbend one's mind.

  1. to release from tension, as a bow.

  2. Nautical.

    • to loose or untie, as a sail or rope.

    • to unfasten from spars or stays, as sails.

verb (used without object),un·bent or (Archaic) un·bend·ed, un·bend·ing.
  1. to relax the strictness of formality or ceremony; act in an easy, genial manner: Imagine him unbending!

  2. to become unbent; straighten.

Origin of unbend

1
Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at un-2, bend1

Other 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

British Dictionary definitions for unbend

unbend

/ (ʌnˈbɛnd) /


verb-bends, -bending or -bent
  1. to release or be released from the restraints of formality and ceremony

  2. informal to relax (the mind) or (of the mind) to become relaxed

  1. to become or be made straightened out from an originally bent shape or position

  2. (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