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tense

/tɛns/noun, verb, adjective1 syllable

Tense means: in or of a state of physical or nervous tension.

Synonyms for tense30

verb, as in cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious

strain, tense up

verb, as in become stretched or tense or taut

strain

verb, as in become tense, nervous, or uneasy

tense up

adjective, as in in or of a state of physical or nervous tension

aroused, wound up, cliff-hanging, suspenseful, suspensive, nail-biting, taut, antsy, fidgety, fretful, itchy, restless, edgy, high-strung
and 10 more, highly strung, jittery, jumpy, nervy, overstrung, restive, uptight, electric, isotonic, nervous

adjective, as in taut or rigid; stretched tight

overstrung, taut, tight

adjective, as in pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in ‘beat’)

constricted

also used for tense

stressed, unrelaxed

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Opposites of tense

relaxed, lax, relax

What does tense mean?8

adjective

1

in or of a state of physical or nervous tension

2

taut or rigid; stretched tight“tense piano strings”

3

pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in ‘beat’)

verb

1

cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious“he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up”

2

become stretched or tense or taut“the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed”

3

become tense, nervous, or uneasy“He tensed up when he saw his opponent enter the room”

4

increase the tension on“alternately relax and tense your calf muscle”

noun

1

a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with tense?19

one syllable

sensehencefencedensepencespencewhencethence
Show 40 near rhymes
whentheirtheregetthemthenwellsaidwherebesthelpagainnextagainstendleftletsetcarereadyettellheadmenwentyeslesssayshealthfriendsdeathelseairfriendredcheckmyselfyourselfwestgets

Tense in a sentence

  • Admittedly, the atmosphere in the office was a little bit tense.Amastan
  • The negotiations stalled, resulting in a tense stalemate.CK
  • Recently, this area's international relations have become very tense.sharris123
  • At the most thrilling moment, everyone looked very tense.marcelostockle
  • You were probably too tense, and that prevented you from sleeping well.Christophe
  • There was a tense silence when the curtain fell.pengpau
  • Truth is usually expressed in the present tense.unknown
  • He was lying there very still and tense.unknown

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of tense

as a noun

plural
tenses

as a verb

past tense
tensed
present participle
tensing
third-person singular
tenses
past participle
tensed

as a adjective

comparative
tenser
superlative
tensest