let one's guard down
Become emotionally vulnerable
To let one's guard down is to relax vigilance or defenses, becoming vulnerable to attack, deception, or emotional exposure.
From boxing and fencing, where lowering protective posture invites a blow: She never lets her guard down around strangers.
The opposite is to keep or have one's guard up.
- risk-takingAccepting possible harm
- unwindingReleasing coiled tension
- pillow talkIntimate conversation in bed
- emotional intimacyDeep personal connection
- trustConfidence in another
friendship · safe space · overconfidence · relaxation · admitting · vulnerability · susceptibility · exposure · intimacy · open heart · heart to heart · reassurance · openness · empathy · complacency · exposing · unawareness · surrender
let one's guard downkeep one's guard up
Remain watchfully protective
stay alert · be on the lookout · keep watch · keep a lookout · be prepared
let one's guard downkeep one's distance
Remain apart from others
hold back · clam up · keep to oneself · bottle up · withdraw
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