as in to brighten
to become glad or hopeful
the patient lightened when he heard the disease responds well to treatment
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to illumine
to supply with light
the room was gradually lightened by the rising sun
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lighten
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
24 June 2026
The sweetness of vanilla is contrasted with sharp musk and sandalwood and lightened with fresh jasmine.
—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
23 June 2026
Instead of perfection, Rainey strove to disarm her audience, at times intentionally tripping or starting off with a joke to humanize herself and lighten the mood, McNulty said.
—
Sierra Lopez,
Mercury News,
23 June 2026
Congress has since lightened some of the harsh mandatory penalties that applied to Bailey and others convicted back in the 1990s.
—
Carrie Johnson,
NPR,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for lighten
Verb
Dark green foliage lightens toward the branch tips.
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Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
24 June 2026
The sweetness of vanilla is contrasted with sharp musk and sandalwood and lightened with fresh jasmine.
—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
23 June 2026
Instead of perfection, Rainey strove to disarm her audience, at times intentionally tripping or starting off with a joke to humanize herself and lighten the mood, McNulty said.
—
Sierra Lopez,
Mercury News,
23 June 2026
Congress has since lightened some of the harsh mandatory penalties that applied to Bailey and others convicted back in the 1990s.
—
Carrie Johnson,
NPR,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for lighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lighten
Verb
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In a process known as photobleaching, the UV light breaks down the chemical bonds in pigments, which can brighten your whites.
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The light that shone from Red Beard’s joints brightened.
Verb
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Fantastic, illumined by periodic excursions into surrealism, as when the crew of a mysterious UFO boards a transpacific Kahuna Airlines jet midflight.
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Geraldine walked over to Felix and Jane’s for fish soup, through long autumn shadows in the park, haze rising like smoke from the grass, illumined by the low sun.
Verb
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From the deck, Pawlak could see lightning illuminating the coastline like a fireworks show.
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What to read next Headquartered in Hawthorne, California, Reflect Orbital's vision is to deliver light on demand to solar power plants at night and to illuminate warzones and areas struck by natural disasters.
Verb
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Passionate Mars lights your 11th House of Friends and Community, forming a harmonious trine to transformative Pluto in your 7th House of Partnership.
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Digital footage obtained by The Times showed large aerial fireworks lighted at close range, while another video showed fireworks being thrown by an unknown individual into the crowd.
Cite this Entry
“Lighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lighten. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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