lighten (redirected from lightened)

lighten something up

to make something lighter or brighter. Some white paint will lighten this room up a lot. The sunlight came in and lightened up the kitchen.

See also: up

lighten up

to become lighter or brighter. (See also lighten up (on someone or something).) We applied a new coat of white paint to the walls, and the room lightened up considerably. The sky is beginning to lighten up a little.

See also: up

lighten up (on someone or something)

to be less rough and demanding or rude with someone or something. Please lighten up on her. You are being very cruel. You are too harsh. Lighten up.

See also: up

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lighten somebody's/the load

to make a difficult or upsetting situation easier to deal with Anyway, we'll be getting a temp in next month to do some of this work so that should lighten your load.

See also: load

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lighten your load also lighten the load

to make something easier for you to deal with Every kind of helper, from eye doctors to massage therapists, volunteered time to lighten the rescue workers' load.

See also: load

lighten up

to be less serious about something People are usually relieved when they're given a chance to lighten up.

Usage notes: often used as an order: When she complained that these people were being treated badly, he told her, “Lighten up.”

Related vocabulary: get a life

See also: up