lighten

/ˈlaɪtn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈlaɪtn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlī-tᵊn/ (ame, mw)

lighten — verb

  • lightenpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • lightenshe / she / it
  • lightenedpast simple
  • lightening-ing form

1. to become less dark, or to make something less dark by adding or letting in ligh

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

to become less dark, or to make something less dark by adding or letting in light

例句

Emma opened the curtains wide to let the morning sun lighten the living room.

transitive: lighten + room/space with light source

The sky above the mountains began to lighten just before six o'clock.

intransitive: sky + lighten (become brighter)

同義詞
  • brighten

    more common in everyday speech; often used for rooms, weather, and faces

  • illuminate

    more formal; suggests a strong or purposeful light source

反義詞
  • darken

    direct opposite in both transitive and intransitive uses

文法句型

lighten + noun (make brighter)

noun + lighten (become brighter)

用法筆記

Often used intransitively with sky, room, or face as the subject. The transitive use typically describes adding a light source or reflective surface.

常見錯誤

❌She lightened the room by painting it blue.
✅She lightened the room by painting it white.
💡Dark colours make a room feel darker; to lighten a space you need lighter hues or more light.

2. to make a difficult situation, responsibility, or source of pressure easier to d

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

to make a difficult situation, responsibility, or source of pressure easier to deal with or less severe

例句

The city council voted to lighten the tax burden on small businesses.

collocation: lighten the burden

Vikram asked a junior staff member to help lighten his workload during the audit.

collocation: lighten + workload

同義詞
  • ease

    more general; can replace lighten in most burden contexts

  • alleviate

    more formal; suggests making pain or suffering less severe

  • reduce

    direct and neutral; focuses on making smaller rather than less heavy

反義詞
  • increase

    opposite effect on burden or workload

  • aggravate

    makes a difficult situation worse

文法句型

lighten + abstract noun (burden/load/stress/workload)

用法筆記

The object is typically an abstract noun such as burden, load, workload, stress, strain, or pressure. The subject is often a person, policy, or helpful action.

常見錯誤

❌The music lightened him.
✅The music lightened his mood.
💡In the burden-reduction sense, lighten needs an abstract object like 'load' or 'stress'; for emotional effects on a person, use sense 4 (CHEER UP).

3. to change the colour of something, especially hair, paint, or fabric, so that it

3.動詞及物B2
釋義

to change the colour of something, especially hair, paint, or fabric, so that it becomes a paler or less intense shade

例句

The hairdresser used a special cream to lighten Ananya's hair by two shades.

pattern: lighten + noun + by + amount

After years in the sun, the red curtains had lightened to a soft shade of pink.

同義詞
  • pale

    can be used as a verb; more specific to colour becoming less intense

  • bleach

    stronger; suggests making very pale or white using chemicals

反義詞
  • darken

    makes a colour deeper or closer to black

  • deepen

    makes a colour more intense and saturated

文法句型

lighten + noun (colour/hair/paint/fabric) + by + amount

用法筆記

This sense is about colour shade (pale vs dark), not about illumination (bright vs dim). Distinguish from sense 1: lighten a room means add light; lighten a colour means make it paler.

常見錯誤

❌I want to lighten my hair' (when you mean 'dye it a lighter colour').
✅I want to lighten my hair by two shades.
💡This use is correct but only applies to colour, not to adding brightness.

4. to feel happier and less worried, or to make someone else feel this way

4.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

to feel happier and less worried, or to make someone else feel this way

例句

The sight of her little granddaughter waving at the front door lightened Sofia's mood.

collocation: lighten + mood

A gentle walk around the lake always helps to lighten my spirits after a stressful week.

collocation: lighten + spirits

同義詞
  • cheer up

    more common with people as direct object; 'cheer someone up' is the standard form

  • brighten

    works for mood and face; overlaps closely with this sense of lighten

  • lift

    informal; 'lift someone's spirits' is a very common expression

反義詞
  • sadden

    makes someone feel sad

  • depress

    makes the atmosphere or mood heavy and unhappy

  • weigh down

    phrasal verb; opposite of lifting spirits

文法句型

lighten + abstract noun (mood/spirit/atmosphere)

noun + lighten (become less worried)

用法筆記

Often used in the informal phrasal verb 'lighten up' as an imperative meaning 'don't be so serious'. The object is typically a mood, atmosphere, spirits, or heart — not a person directly (you don't 'lighten a person').

常見錯誤

❌Her joke lightened him.
✅Her joke lightened the mood.
💡Lighten in this sense takes an abstract object (mood, atmosphere, spirits), not a person directly.
❌Lighten up!' (wrong tone in a formal setting).
✅Lighten up is fine with friends but informal; in formal writing use 'ease the tension' or 'improve the atmosphere'.

5. to remove items or material from something such as a bag, vehicle, or container

5.動詞及物B2
釋義

to remove items or material from something such as a bag, vehicle, or container so that it weighs less and is easier to carry or move

例句

Lukas lightened his backpack by leaving the heavy textbook on his desk at home.

pattern: lighten + bag/backpack + by removing items

The delivery drivers had to lighten the truck by unloading half of the boxes.

同義詞
  • unload

    more specific; means remove the contents, not just reduce weight

  • unpack

    specific to removing items from a suitcase or bag

反義詞
  • weigh down

    phrasal verb; to add weight to

  • load up

    phrasal verb; to fill with items, increasing weight

文法句型

lighten + noun (bag/load/vehicle) + by + amount/measure

用法筆記

The object is always a physical container or vehicle: bag, backpack, suitcase, truck, boat. Unlike sense 2, this is about actual physical weight, not metaphorical burden.

常見錯誤

❌We need to lighten the stress' (using sense-5 vocabulary for an abstract concept).
✅Use sense 2 (REDUCE BURDEN) for stress: 'We need to lighten the stress load.