Meaning of lighten up | Babel Free

Definitions

1. To make (something) or to become less serious and more cheerful or casual; to relax.
   idiomatic, intransitive, transitive
2. To lighten (something): to decrease its weight.
   transitive

Equivalents

Examples

“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.”

CEFR level