to unclench

Examples

• All

• "Damien took a deep breath, reminded himself where he was, and managed to unclench his fists."

  Fiction book (1991)

• Mom's face softened as my sister's fist unclenched and the mobile fell to the floor.

  Fiction book (1996)

• I hung up the phone, but it took a while before I could unclench my hand from the receiver.

  Fiction book (1999)

• For the first time since she began law school, her jaw unclenched.

  Fiction book (1996)

• I took hope from his expression, and unclenched my fists.

  Fiction book (1992)

• Tomorrow I will wipe away tears, pull toddlers off of my legs, unclench tiny little fingers from around my neck, and Passover a very new baby.

  Harvard University

• The vein at her temple softened and receded, her hands unclenched, her color thinned.

  Fiction book (1990)

• Alex, battered but alive, jerkily unclenches his fist, still holding the lighter, glow fading.

  Fiction book (2000)

• After a long day, she had to consciously unclench her fists to relax.

• As the stress faded, he finally managed to unclench his jaw and take a deep breath.

Synonyms

L

to loosen

vsto unclench

88 1.0

Make something less tight so it can move or open

is specific to opening body parts rather than making objects less tight

U

to unloose grip

vsto unclench

6.7

Let go of something you are holding, physically or emotionally

is used mainly for opening or relaxing body parts rather than general control

U

to ungrip

vsto unclench

6.8

To let go of something you hold tightly

is about opening or relaxing body parts rather than letting go of objects

Antonyms

C

to clench

70 3.5

To squeeze something tightly with your hands or teeth

How Open

to open

∞ 1.0

to unclench

7 4.1

to loosen

88 1.0

to relax

78 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology