tautened

past tense of tauten
as in tightened
to draw tight he tautened the rope and then tied it off

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tautened
Verb
  • When evidence is incomplete or when confidence decreases and risk increases, autonomy should be reduced and the human boundary tightened.
    — Asaf Wiener, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Since early September, FiftyPlusOne's polling average has tightened modestly, from about a 3-point advantage for Democrat Troy Jackson in early September to roughly 2 points now.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The women tensed when the deputy warden of the Rostov jail, a curt, imperious man with a heavy-footed gait, walked in.
    — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • As that handover proceeds, the excitatory signal that keeps your muscles faintly tensed all day begins to withdraw, and muscle tone drops toward the near-paralysis of deep sleep.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tautened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tautened. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!