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
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
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 3 July 2025
Still, his identity as an active LAPD reserve officer has raised some eyebrows in Santa Ana, a city with a long and often tense relationship with its own police force.
—Hanna Kang, Oc Register, 3 July 2025
Lindsay Curtis, Health, 27 Apr. 2025
Sigmon’s arms briefly tensed when he was shot, and the target was blasted off his chest.
—Jeffrey Collins, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tense
Adjective
Tincher met with Met Council and Metro Transit officials around 2 p.m. Thursday for some tense talk, but the mayor’s office had no immediate changes to announce afterward to the maintenance schedule that was posted this week on Metro Transit’s website.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 3 July 2025
Still, his identity as an active LAPD reserve officer has raised some eyebrows in Santa Ana, a city with a long and often tense relationship with its own police force.
—Hanna Kang, Oc Register, 3 July 2025
Verb
Progressive Muscle Relaxation Progressive muscle relaxation involves slowly tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups in the body, one at a time.
—Lindsay Curtis, Health, 27 Apr. 2025
Sigmon’s arms briefly tensed when he was shot, and the target was blasted off his chest.
—Jeffrey Collins, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tense
Adjective
-
One of the biggest shifts since the time of Rose is that far fewer Americans are worried about this potential problem.—
Harry Enten,
CNN Money,
11 July 2025
-
Critics of Greene's bill are worried that the legislation could disproportionately benefit higher-income individuals, who naturally stand to make more profits from a home sale.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
Pico’s other headsets are not sold in North America and ByteDance and the Trump administration have an uneasy relationship at best.—
Chris Morris,
Fortune,
15 July 2025
-
The carpenters’ stance has created a split in the labor movement that makes lawmakers uneasy and sometimes spills into public view.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
13 July 2025
Adjective
-
The Moccamaster can hold brewing temperatures within a variance of 4 degrees Celsius and extract coffee within very tight parameters.—
Scott Gilbertson,
Wired News,
9 July 2025
-
This minimizes losses from expired or unsold products and lowers risk by maintaining tighter control over merchandise.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Verb
-
Even as immigration policies have been tightened and the number of asylum seekers in Europe has fallen, the long-term presence of migrants amid stagnating economies will continue to feed voter anger.—
Ian Bremmer,
Time,
11 July 2025
-
More than three years into Putin’s unprovoked war on Ukraine, the Kremlin’s political vice is tightening again.—
Clare Sebastian,
CNN Money,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
The odds of a recession may be falling, but states appear to be betting that corporate leaders are still nervous.—
Scott Cohn,
CNBC,
12 July 2025
-
Then there's the real world, which is entirely different, so in reality people have nothing to be nervous about.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
12 July 2025
Adjective
-
Scientists have found a new way to cheat the system – which is both ingenious and disturbing.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
-
Pisciotta alleged that West’s disturbing behavior did not end after she was terminated at Yeezy.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
Nicola, played like a taut violin string by Embeth Davidtz (who also directed and adapted this story from Alexandra Fuller’s memoir of the same name), sleeps cradling an assault rifle.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 July 2025
-
Dragging the roll slider up and down made the R1T go from a relaxed, floppy feel to a taut, engaging turner.—
Tim Stevens,
ArsTechnica,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
The choice of name was coincidental but Lee and Kirby were anxious to avoid any connection to radical politics.—
Ekow Eshun
July 11,
Literary Hub,
11 July 2025
-
My expectation is that the veteran who has been in the Octagon against some of the heaviest hitters in the UFC’s heavyweight division is going to be anxious to test the young man who only has 35 seconds of UFC fight time to his name.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tense. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share