tense 1 of 2

adjective

ˈten(t)s How to pronounce tense (audio)
Definition of tensenext
1
as in worried
feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty was tense about the upcoming bar exam

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uneasy
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings a tense relationship existed between the two teachers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tight
stretched with little or no give a tense rope

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tense

2 of 2

verb

as in to tighten
to draw tight he tensed his muscles and attempted to lift the heavy appliance onto the truck

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of tense
Adjective
The mood grew tense as regular time ticked away, with any mistake sure to be punished by a tournament-ending goal. — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 7 July 2026 On July 6, the sun in Cancer will meet with Saturn in Aries in a tense square, creating friction between the need for emotional stability and comfort versus the pressure to take responsibility for yourself and establish a sense of independence. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
Verb
Instead, he was intrigued by a scene in which Back visibly tensed up after the producers told him he was suspected of being Satoshi. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 9 Apr. 2026 The slope down to the sidewalk was barely an inch high, but everyone tensed. — IEEE Spectrum, 1 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tense
  1. worried
  2. uneasy
  3. tight
  4. tighten
  5. nervous
  6. disturbing
  7. taut
  8. anxious
Adjective
  • The 18-year-old was sent to Adelanto ICE Detention Center in handcuffs, nearly a hundred miles away from his worried family members.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • Holmes is worried about old shingles and tiles in construction material that could have asbestos leaking into the water supply.
    — Mary Ella Hastings July 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 July 2026
Definition of worried
Adjective
  • Now Gauff and her next opponent, Karolina Muchova, face off Thursday for a chance to transform their mutually uneasy relationships with the green blades beneath their feet into the biggest grass-court breakthrough of their careers.
    — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • The result is a tension stretched nearly to the snapping point, then resolved in an uneasy detente.
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 6 July 2026
Definition of uneasy
Adjective
  • In a massive joint operation, US Central Command – with tight coordination from US Strategic Command, US Space Command, and the US Space Force – used electromagnetic warfare to blank out a massive area over Iran.
    — David Szondy July 06, New Atlas, 7 July 2026
  • In major competitions since Euro 1984 (including the UEFA Nations League), the contests have been tight affairs that have been decided by one goal or penalties.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of tight
Verb
  • Anthropic has reported banning accounts and tightening filters after detecting attempts to use Claude for phishing emails, malicious code and safeguard bypasses.
    — Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Instead of tightening a leash or pushing on a dog’s back to force them to do a trick, pooches are commonly rewarded with treats, toys or positive affirmations.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 10 July 2026
Definition of tighten
Adjective
  • The looming project was why Purohit was nervous to move her mother into Silverado last winter.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • For most of the last decade the threat argument was a transatlantic one, with a nervous eastern flank pulling against a distracted west.
    — Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of nervous
Adjective
  • And so the disturbing part of the dissent in the mail ballot case was that this was about a very narrow issue, whether ballots that are postmarked by Election Day can be counted if they're received in some period after.
    — Tonya Mosley, NPR, 8 July 2026
  • The film is a modern take on creature horror movies told from the perspective of a young boy who slowly begins to discover his beloved parents are hiding a disturbing secret about his mother’s true nature.
    — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 7 July 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • For a woman who died in 1818, her face seems slightly too taut, her eyes slightly too wide, her skin slightly too bright.
    — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 3 July 2026
  • Bass is taut and clean, midrange clear and expressive, and treble crisp and extended for a high definition performance with all manner of music.
    — Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of taut
Adjective
  • Max is accompanied on his adventures by anxious robot C-3PO AB Sitter, and FX, a magical alien masquerading as a toy who can turn the kid's implausibly impressive sand sculptures into fully functioning robots.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 5 July 2026
  • America’s centennial in 1876 was celebrated with a grand exhibition that projected an image of national unity and inventiveness in the anxious aftermath of civil war and recession.
    — The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
Definition of anxious

Browse Nearby Words

tens
tense
tensed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tense. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on tense

Nglish: Translation of tense for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tense

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fulcrum

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All