Synonyms of tension

tension 1 of 2

noun

ˈten(t)-shən 

as in pressure

the burden on one's emotional or mental well-being created by demands on one's time

under a lot of tension right now about her decision not to go to college

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pressure
• stress
• strain
• load
• anxiety
• worry
• concern
• anger
• weight
• irritation
• uneasiness
• trouble
• persecution
• exasperation
• aggravation
• annoyance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• comfort
• consolation

tension

2 of 2

verb

as in to tense

Related Words

• tense
• tighten
• stretch
• strain
• bind
• tie
• attach
• restrain
• fasten
• constrain

Dissimilar Words

• ease
• relax
• loosen
• slack
• slacken
• free
• undo
• detach
• untie
• unfasten
• unbind

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tension

Noun

The pilot sets up interesting tensions between Duke and surrogate father Kingsley and a livelier adversarial role for Pinnock, but Kingsley is gone for the majority of the six episodes (out of eight) sent to critics and Pinnock’s absence is felt. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026

And that’s the main tension this season, as Beau is feeling emasculated by the dynamic. — Marlow Stern, Variety, 30 July 2026

Verb

In terms of speech, this means the neurons needed to convert the desire to say a word into the muscle activity needed to control the mouth and tongue, expel sufficient breath, and tension the vocal cords. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 20 May 2024

In a lengthy chat with host Stephen Colbert, the director and actress spoke about everything from firing Shia LaBeouf to tension with star Florence Pugh to whether Harry Styles actually spit on Chris Pine. — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2022