unbend

/ˈʌnˌbɛnd/

Other forms: unbending; unbends; unbended

When you make something straight, you unbend it. If your knees are stiff, it can be hard to unbend them after sitting cross-legged on the floor for a while.

To straighten something bent or twisted is to unbend it. You can finally unbend your arm once you get that cast off! And when you relax or loosen up, you figuratively unbend: "It'll be nice to take it easy this weekend, and finally unbend after a long, busy week." The original meaning of this verb was "relax a bow by unstringing it," from the word bend and its earliest definition, "bend a bow."

Definitions of unbend

1. verb

   straighten up or out; make straight
   synonyms: straighten

   type of:

   change posture

   undergo a change in bodily posture
2. verb

   free from flexure
   “unbend a bow”

   antonyms:

   bend

   cause (a plastic object) to assume a crooked or angular form

   type of:

   straighten, straighten out

   make straight
3. verb

   unfasten, as a sail, from a spar or a stay
   type of:

   unfasten

   cause to become undone
4. verb

   make less taut
   synonyms: relax

   types:

   unbrace

   remove from tension

   type of:

   loose, loosen

   make loose or looser
5. verb

   become less tense, rest, or take one's ease
   synonyms: decompress, loosen up, relax, slow down, unwind

   types:

   vege out, vegetate

   engage in passive relaxation

   sit back, take it easy

   settle into a comfortable sitting position

   type of:

   change state, turn

   undergo a transformation or a change of position or action
6. verb

   release from mental strain, tension, or formality
   “unbend the mind from absorbing too much information”

   type of:

   loosen up, make relaxed, relax, unlax, unstrain, unwind

   cause to feel relaxed