Definition
To make (something) or to become less serious and more cheerful or casual; to relax.
In Context
- "I wish he'd lighten up a bit and realize that we were only joking."
- "The mood at work has been tense, so he's looking for ways to lighten it up."
- "Sondheim's sense of life — which is pretty pessimistic (I don't think that anyone ever ends happily ever after in a Sondheim musical) — is brought through without trying to lighten it up."
- "you lighten up my heart when I start to cry"