Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- To become light or lighter; grow light or clear up; brighten: as, the sky lightens.
- To emit flashes of lightning; shoot out as lightning; flash. See
lightning . The lightning that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven shineth unto the other part. - To make light or bright; give light to; light up.
- To illuminate mentally or spiritually; enlighten.
- To send forth like lightning.
- To descend; settle down; light.
- To become light or less heavy.
- To make light or less heavy; reduce in weight; relieve of weight: as, to
lighten coin by clipping or abrasion; to lighten a load or a ship. - To make less burdensome or oppressive; alleviate: as, to
lighten the cares of life. - To cheer; gladden.
- To make lighter in color or shade: as, to
lighten the background of a picture.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To make lighter, or less heavy; to reduce in weight; to relieve of part of a load or burden
- transitive verb To make less burdensome or afflictive; to alleviate.
- transitive verb To cheer; to exhilarate.
- intransitive verb To descend; to light.
- intransitive verb To burst forth or dart, as lightning; to shine with, or like, lightning; to display a flash or flashes of lightning; to flash.
- intransitive verb To grow lighter; to become less dark or lowering; to brighten; to clear, as the sky.
- transitive verb In this sense less common than light. To make light or clear; to light; to illuminate
- transitive verb In this sense less common than enlighten. To illuminate with knowledge; to enlighten.
- transitive verb To emit or disclose in, or as in, lightning; to flash out, like lightning.
- transitive verb To free from trouble and fill with joy.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To
alleviate ; toreduce theburden of. - verb transitive To make light or lighter in weight.
- verb transitive To make less serious or more cheerful.
- verb transitive To make brighter or clearer; to
illuminate . - verb intransitive To become
light or lighter inweight . - verb intransitive To become less
serious or morecheerful . - verb intransitive To become
brighter or clearer; tobrighten .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb make lighter or brighter
- verb reduce the weight on; make lighter
- verb make more cheerful
- verb become lighter
- verb become more cheerful
- verb alleviate or remove (pressure or stress) or make less oppressive
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The response entitled lighten folks may well be right.
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Just as depictions of emaciated models can encourage eating disorders and other dangerous practices in young women, so too can the impetus to "lighten" one's implicitly offensive and unwelcomed skin tone impact the mental and physical wellbeing of people of color.
Randall Amster: Erasing Arizona: Dark-skinned Mural Faces Ordered "Lightened" to Appease Bigotry 2010
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Still ads should also use lighting and backgrounds that minimize color contrast, or even superficially "lighten" Obama.
Small Steps, Big Change Steven Barnes 2010
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The artists said Lane promptly requested that they literally go back to the drawing board and whiten (or more politely "lighten") the face of the African-American student.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson: Will Arizona Principal Cave to Bigots Who Demand a White Mural? 2010
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The signal apparently was received in Prescott, Arizona where a school principal ordered artists to "lighten" the faces of white, black and Hispanic children on school mural after a radio campaign against the mural and weeks of passers-by screaming racial slurs.
Bennet Kelley: A Whiter Shade of Pale: Arizona and State Sponsored Bigotry 2010
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Continuous racist epithets and comments from car drivers, Prescott community members, and Prescott Councilman Steve Blair led to a resolution from the mural committee, which includes Lane and two Miller Valley educators, to "lighten" the faces of the children of color depicted in the mural.
Ileana Jiménez: Arizona Principal Needs to Defend Students and Diversity Ileana Jiménez 2010
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Just as depictions of emaciated models can encourage eating disorders and other dangerous practices in young women, so too can the impetus to "lighten" one's implicitly offensive and unwelcomed skin tone impact the mental and physical wellbeing of people of color.
Randall Amster: Erasing Arizona: Dark-skinned Mural Faces Ordered "Lightened" to Appease Bigotry 2010
-
The artists said Lane promptly requested that they literally go back to the drawing board and whiten (or more politely "lighten") the face of the African-American student.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson: Will Arizona Principal Cave to Bigots Who Demand a White Mural? 2010
-
The signal apparently was received in Prescott, Arizona where a school principal ordered artists to "lighten" the faces of white, black and Hispanic children on school mural after a radio campaign against the mural and weeks of passers-by screaming racial slurs.
Bennet Kelley: A Whiter Shade of Pale: Arizona and State Sponsored Bigotry 2010
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Faithful, I have a friend, by name Ali the Persian, who hath store of tales and plea sent stories, such as lighten the heart and make care depart.
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