Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lighten up

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.35 in modern English

Syllables: light-en up
IPA

15

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To make (something) or to become less serious and more cheerful or casual; to relax.

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

verb

To lighten (something): to decrease its weight.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"I wish he'd lighten up a bit and realize that we were only joking."
"The mood at work has been tense, so he's looking for ways to lighten it up."
"Sondheim's sense of life — which is pretty pessimistic (I don't think that anyone ever ends happily ever after in a Sondheim musical) — is brought through without trying to lighten it up."
"you lighten up my heart when I start to cry"
"Near-synonym: slim down"
"He can't get any more power out of it [his drag racer], so now he's looking for ways to lighten it up."

Usage

Inflected Forms

lightens up (present, singular) lightening up (participle, present) lightened up (participle, past) lightened up (past)

Phrases

light up

Frequently Paired Words

enlighten light up chill out

Synonyms

slim down lighten brighten buoy up

Questions

What does lighten up mean?: To make (something) or to become less serious and more cheerful or casual; to relax.

How to pronounce lighten up

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “lighten up”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “lighten up”.
Repeat and practice — Say “lighten up” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.