- the past tense and past participle of unbend
- not bent or bowed
- not compelled to yield or give way by force
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
un•bent
(un bent′),USA pronunciation v.
adj.
- pt. and pp. of unbend.
adj.
- not bent;
unbowed. - not having yielded or submitted.
- (in defs. 2 and 3) un-1 + bent1 1475–85
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
unbent /ʌnˈbɛnt/ vb
un•bend /ʌnˈbɛnd/USA pronunciation
v., -bent, -bend•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to (cause to) straighten from a bent form or position: [~ + object]to unbend the crooked bar.[no object]He slowly unbent after stooping.
- to become less formal;
relax:[no object]gradually unbent and even told a joke.
un•bend
(un bend′),USA pronunciation v., -bent or (Archaic) -bend•ed, -bend•ing.
v.t.
v.i.
un•bend′a•ble, adj.
v.t.
- to straighten from a bent form or position.
- to release from the strain of formality, intense effort, etc.;
relax:to unbend one's mind. - to release from tension, as a bow.
- [Naut.]
- Nauticalto loose or untie, as a sail or rope.
- Nauticalto unfasten from spars or stays, as sails.
v.i.
- to relax the strictness of formality or ceremony;
act in an easy, genial manner:Imagine him unbending! - to become unbent;
straighten.
- 1200–50; Middle English; see un-2, bend1
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
unbend /ʌnˈbɛnd/ vb ( -bends, -bending, -bent)
- to release or be released from the restraints of formality and ceremony
- informal to relax (the mind) or (of the mind) to become relaxed
- to become or be made straightened out from an originally bent shape or position
- (transitive)
- to remove (a sail) from a stay, mast, yard, etc
- to untie (a rope, etc) or cast (a cable) loose
'unbent' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):