unbend

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ʌnˈbɛnd/ UK /ʌnˈbɛnd/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to straighten; to relax from formality or stiffness

After dinner the stern host began to unbend and tell jokes.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to straighten; to relax... straighten relax loosen unwind slacken

Opposites

bend stiffen tense curve

Word family

Derived forms unbending

Related forms bendunbentbendable

Etymology

From un- (reversative prefix) + bend, from Old English bendan ('to bend a bow, fetter'), from Proto-Germanic *bandijan, related to band, from Proto-Indo-European *bhendh- ('to bind').

un- Old English bendan Old English *bhendh- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# unbend

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ʌnˈbɛnd/
**IPA (UK):** /ʌnˈbɛnd/

## Meanings
1. to straighten; to relax from formality or stiffness

## Examples
- After dinner the stern host began to unbend and tell jokes.

## Synonyms
- straighten
- relax
- loosen
- unwind
- slacken

## Antonyms
- bend
- stiffen
- tense
- curve

## Derived Forms
- unbending

## Related Forms
- bend
- unbent
- bendable

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: un-
- Root: bendan
- Root: *bhendh-

## Etymology
From un- (reversative prefix) + bend, from Old English bendan ('to bend a bow, fetter'), from Proto-Germanic *bandijan, related to band, from Proto-Indo-European *bhendh- ('to bind').

## AI Etymology
Unbend comes from un- (reversative prefix) + bend, from Old English bendan ('to bend a bow, fetter'), from Proto-Germanic *bandijan, related to band, from Proto-Indo-European *bhendh- ('to bind'). The prefix supplies the first semantic turn, while the base carries the lexical core of the word. As a verb, it means "to straighten; to relax from formality or stiffness", so the modern sense keeps the older action or relation visible. Relevant historical forms include Old English un-, Old English bendan, and Proto-Indo-European *bhendh-. Derivative forms include unbending; related words include bend, unbent, bendable.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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