Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
unbend [uhn-bend] ExamplesWord Origin verb (used with object), un·bent or (Archaic) un·bend·ed, un·bend·ing.
- 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.
verb (used without object), un·bent or (Archaic) un·bend·ed, un·bend·ing.
- to relax the strictness of formality or ceremony; act in an easy, genial manner: Imagine him unbending!
- to become unbent; straighten.
Origin of unbend Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at un-2, bend1 Related formsun·bend·a·ble, adjective Related Words for unbended unwind, recline, soften, calm, breathe, relax, lean, deign, rectify, uncoil, loosen, defrost, melt, dissolve, spread, unravel, unfurl, repose, rest, tranquilize Examples from the Web for unbended Historical Examples of unbended
A wise and good man is never so amiable as in his unbended and familiar intervals.
The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D., in Nine Volumes, Volume the Second
Samuel Johnson
If ever Mr. Scarsdale unbended his reserved soul for a moment, it was Peggy who received the rare confidence.
Mrs. Oliphant
She made herself very agreeable to the Archdeacon, who unbended very much, and grew very nice, as Mrs Chiley herself allowed.
Mrs (Margaret) Oliphant
If she had a fault it was her unbended determination to go through with any thing she once undertook.
William Shakespeare as he lived.
Henry Curling
British Dictionary definitions for unbended unbend verb -bends, -bending or -bent
- 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 Formsunbendable, adjective Word Origin and History for unbended unbend v.
“to relax a bow by unstringing it,” mid-13c., from un- (2) + bend (v.). Figurative meaning “to become genial, relax” (1748) has a sense opposite to that of unbending “inflexible, obstinate” (1680s), which does not derive from the bowstringing image.