make light of


make light of (something)

1. To joke about something and not take it seriously. I know it's fun to make light of what happened, but the truth is that you both could have been seriously injured.2. To treat something as insignificant or unimportant. The senator's spokesperson tried to make light of the allegations by saying similar accusations are made all the time.See also: light, make, of

make light of something

to treat something as if it were unimportant or humorous. I wish you wouldn't make light of his problems. They're quite serious. I make light of my problems, and that makes me feel better.See also: light, make, of

make light of

Also, make little of. Treat as unimportant, as in He made light of his allergies, or She made little of the fact that she'd won. The first term, which uses light in the sense of "trivial," was first recorded in William Tyndale's 1526 Bible translation (Matthew 22:5), in the parable of the wedding feast, where the invited guests reject the king's invitation: "They made light of it and went their ways." The variant dates from the early 1800s. For an antonym, see make much of. See also: light, make, of

make light (or little) of

treat as unimportant. 1990 Vanity Fair Ian says they still hope to marry someday, and tries to make light of their non-wedding. See also: light, make, of

make light of

To treat as unimportant: He made light of his illness.See also: light, make, of