Lighten - English meaning

verb

Diminish or put at rest (fear, suspicion, or worry).

Usage examples:

The report attempted to educate the public and allay fears

verb

To make a negative emotion less strong or a problem less difficult

Usage examples:

I was nervous, but seeing her allayed my fears.

verb

If you allay a strong emotion felt by someone, such as fear or worry, you cause them to feel it less or to feel calm again

Usage examples:

The government is trying to allay public fears/concern about the spread of the disease.

verb

Make (suffering, deficiency, or a problem) less severe.

Usage examples:

He couldn't prevent her pain, only alleviate it

verb

To make pain or problems less severe

Usage examples:

The medicine did nothing to alleviate her discomfort.

verb

To make something bad such as pain or problems less severe

Usage examples:

The drugs did nothing to alleviate her pain/suffering.

verb

Make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense.

Usage examples:

The letter assuaged the fears of most members

verb

To make unpleasant feelings less strong

Usage examples:

The government has tried to assuage the public's fears.

verb

Make or become more light.

Usage examples:

Most of the country should brighten up later

verb

Make lighter or brighter

verb

To become or make something lighter

Usage examples:

[ i ] the lights dimmed, then brightened., [ m ] betty painted the room white to brighten it up., […

adjective

Not showing or feeling nervousness, anger, or other strong emotions.

Usage examples:

She had to keep calm at all costs

noun

The absence of strong emotions; calm feelings.

Usage examples:

His usual calm deserted him

verb

Make (someone) tranquil and quiet; soothe.

Usage examples:

I took him inside and tried to calm him down

verb

Make or become smaller or fewer in size, amount, intensity, or degree.

Usage examples:

The population of the area has decreased radically

noun

An instance or example of becoming smaller or fewer.

Usage examples:

A decrease in births

verb

To become smaller or make something less

Usage examples:

[ i ] car sales decreased sharply this year., i haven’t noticed any decrease in ticket sales.

verb

Make or become less.

Usage examples:

The new law is expected to diminish the government's chances

verb

To reduce or be reduced in size or importance

Usage examples:

[ i ] the threat of inflation is diminishing., [ t ] a single-payer system would diminish the burea…

verb

To reduce or be reduced in size, importance, or value

Usage examples:

If consumers start losing confidence, it will diminish demand for household goods., investors can d…

noun

Absence of difficulty or effort.

Usage examples:

She gave up smoking with ease

verb

Make (something unpleasant or intense) less serious or severe.

Usage examples:

A huge road-building programme to ease congestion

verb

Freedom from difficulty or hardship or effort

noun

A large, powerful light, typically one of several used to illuminate a sports ground, a stage, or the exterior of a building.

Usage examples:

The rest of the venue will be lit with powerful floodlights.

verb

Illuminate (a building or outdoor area) with floodlights.

Usage examples:

We are floodlighting the building to highlight the structure

noun

A large, powerful electric light used for lighting outside areas, such as sports fields or buildings

Usage examples:

Tonight’s game will be played under floodlights.

verb

Destroy (small growths or areas of tissue) using diathermy.

Usage examples:

A high-frequency electric current is applied to fulgurate the biological tissue

verb

Make (something) visible or bright by shining light on it; light up.

Usage examples:

A flash of lightning illuminated the house

verb

To put light in or on something

Usage examples:

The buildings were illuminated at night., this article illuminates the basic principles of economics.

verb

Light up; brighten.

Usage examples:

He moved her lamp so that her face was illumined

verb

Expose (someone or something) to radiation.

Usage examples:

The samples were irradiated at the radiation center of oregon state university, usa.

verb

To use radiation (= a form of energy) to destroy something, especially bacteria in food to keep it fresh

verb

Make or become less; diminish.

Usage examples:

The years have lessened the gap in age between us

verb

To become or make something smaller in amount or degree

Usage examples:

[ t ] keeping your weight down can lessen the risk of heart disease.

verb

To make something smaller, less noticeable, etc., or to become smaller, less noticeable, etc.

Usage examples:

Corporate executives are keen to embrace "green technology" in order to lessen their dependence on …

verb

Make (something bad) less severe, serious, or painful.

Usage examples:

Drainage schemes have helped to mitigate this problem

verb

To make something less severe or less unpleasant

Usage examples:

Getting a lot of sleep and drinking plenty of fluids can mitigate the effects of the flu.

verb

To make something less harmful, unpleasant, or bad

Usage examples:

Technologies that can mitigate global warming, mitigate damage/risk the company was criticized for …

adjective

Average in amount, intensity, quality, or degree.

Usage examples:

We walked at a moderate pace

noun

A person who holds moderate views, especially in politics.

Usage examples:

An unlikely alliance of radicals and moderates

verb

Make or become less extreme, intense, rigorous, or violent.

Usage examples:

I shall not moderate my criticism

verb

Make (a disease or its symptoms) less severe without removing the cause.

Usage examples:

Treatment works by palliating symptoms

verb

To reduce the bad effects of something

Usage examples:

They tried to palliate the hardship of their lives., the drugs palliate pain but have no effect on …

verb

Make smaller or less in amount, degree, or size.

Usage examples:

The need for businesses to reduce costs

verb

Make smaller

verb

To make something less in size, amount, degree, importance, or price

Usage examples:

A low-fat diet can reduce the risk of heart disease., grunn employs 17,900 people, but that number …

verb

Cause (pain, distress, or difficulty) to become less severe or serious.

Usage examples:

The drug was used to promote sleep and to relieve pain

verb

Make or become soft or softer.

Usage examples:

Plant extracts to soften and moisturize the skin

verb

To become gentle, or to make something less forceful or loud

Usage examples:

[ t ] he made an effort to soften his tone., congress will move to soften the law’s impact., [ i ] …

verb

If demand, a price, a market, etc. softens, it stops increasing or it goes down

Usage examples:

Share prices softened with continued worries about the country's economic recovery., although deman…

verb

Gently calm (a person or their feelings).

Usage examples:

A shot of brandy might soothe his nerves

verb

To cause someone to be less upset or angry, or to cause something to hurt less

Usage examples:

I picked up the crying child and tried to soothe her., a soothing ointment for sunburn

verb

Overcome, quieten, or bring under control (a feeling or person).

Usage examples:

She managed to subdue an instinct to applaud

verb

Put down by force or intimidation

verb

To reduce the force of (someone or something)

Usage examples:

She’d be hard to subdue if she got mad.

noun

A person's state of mind seen in terms of their being angry or calm.

Usage examples:

He rushed out in a very bad temper

verb

Improve the hardness and elasticity of (steel or other metal) by reheating and then cooling it.

Usage examples:

The way a smith would temper a sword

noun

The state of your mind or feelings

Usage examples:

[ c ] john has a bad temper., [ u ] a fit of temper, [ c ] you need to learn to control your temper…

verb

Make or become white.

Usage examples:

Snow whitened the mountain tops

verb

To make something whiter, or to become whiter

Usage examples:

[ t ] this toothpaste is supposed to whiten your teeth.