unbend
unbend Lexical Profile
unbend Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To make or become straight from a bent, curved, or flexed position.
"He stood up slowly to unbend his stiff knees after sitting on the floor for hours."
To become less formal, aloof, or rigid in behavior; to relax.
"The usually stern professor began to unbend and share humorous stories during the informal dinner."
To release from tension or strain, such as by loosening the string of a bow or untying a nautical rope or sail.
"The archer decided to unbend his bow to preserve the elasticity of the wood."
Word Nuance & Usage
Notice the apparent paradox between the verb 'unbend' (which often means to relax or become less rigid) and its participial adjective 'unbending' (which means strictly inflexible or resolute, derived from the negative prefix 'un-' meaning 'not' rather than the reversative prefix).
• Rhymes for unbend
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English unbenden, formed from the reversative prefix un- and bend (originally referring to releasing the tension of a drawn bow).