lighten

égayer

Rendre quelqu’un plus heureux ou rendre une situation moins sérieuse.

En anglais simple : To make someone happier or make a situation feel less serious.

• His joke lightened the mood.
• Some music might lighten the atmosphere.
• She tried to lighten the conversation with a funny story.

Synonymes : brighten, cheer up

Expressions courantes : lighten the mood, lighten the atmosphere, lighten someone's spirits

alléger

Faire en sorte que quelque chose pèse moins.

En anglais simple : To make something weigh less.

• Remove a few books to lighten your bag.
• We lightened the boat by unloading some equipment.
• Can you lighten my backpack before we leave?

Synonymes : reduce the weight of

Contraires : weigh down

Expressions courantes : lighten the load, lighten a bag, lighten someone's backpack

éclaircir

Rendre une couleur moins foncée ou un lieu plus lumineux.

En anglais simple : To make a place or color less dark.

• White paint will lighten the room.
• She lightened her hair for summer.
• Can you lighten this shade of blue?

Synonymes : brighten

Contraires : darken

Expressions courantes : lighten a room, lighten your hair, lighten the color, lighten the streets

alléger, soulager

Réduire le travail, les soucis ou la souffrance de quelqu’un pour les rendre plus supportables.

En anglais simple : To make someone's work, worries, or suffering easier to deal with.

• Your help will lighten my workload.
• Sharing her worries lightened the burden.
• The extra staff lightened everyone's load.

Synonymes : ease, reduce, alleviate

Contraires : increase

Expressions courantes : lighten the load, lighten someone's burden, lighten the workload