unbend: Meaning and Definition of

un•bend

Pronunciation: (un-bend'), [key]
— v., -bent -bend•ed, -bend•ing.
—v.t.
  1. to straighten from a bent form or position.
  2. to release from the strain of formality, intense effort, etc.; relax: to unbend one's mind.
  3. to release from tension, as a bow.
    1. to loose or untie, as a sail or rope.
    2. to unfasten from spars or stays, as sails.
—v.i.
  1. to relax the strictness of formality or ceremony; act in an easy, genial manner: Imagine him unbending!
  2. to become unbent; straighten.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
See also: