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
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Recent Examples of tense
Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 4 June 2026
With two minutes left in the game, and the Knicks trailing by one point, the mood at Standings is tense — but that’s nothing new for the team or this crowd.
—Jeremy Rellosa, Curbed, 4 June 2026
Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
Limited rib mobility interferes with the ability to breathe deeply, triggering your body’s stress response, which increases muscle tensing as a guarding mechanism.
—Dana Santas, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tense
Adjective
This petition must be placed within a tense French context, after several months of virulent criticism aimed at cinema.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 4 June 2026
With two minutes left in the game, and the Knicks trailing by one point, the mood at Standings is tense — but that’s nothing new for the team or this crowd.
—Jeremy Rellosa, Curbed, 4 June 2026
Verb
Everyone in the barber shop flinched at the sound and tensed their shoulders.
—Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
Limited rib mobility interferes with the ability to breathe deeply, triggering your body’s stress response, which increases muscle tensing as a guarding mechanism.
—Dana Santas, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
Verb
Breezily elegant in execution and at times even Hitchcockian, The Girlfriend is a delicious thriller that tenses up with each new scene and revelation.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tense
Adjective
-
Anthropic is also worried that competitors could use Anthropic’s AI systems to turbocharge their own research — Anthropic uses its own AI systems to help create the next generation of its models.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
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Brandon, who lives in Rockwell, North Carolina, is worried that new Medicaid work requirements starting next year could jeopardize her health coverage.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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Yet at the height of his triumph, Brooks was uneasy.—
Rob Wolfe,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
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After feeling uneasy about being famous for comedy at first, Faris now sees it as a privilege.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
The 7th Assembly District produced one of the region’s tightest races.—
Evelyn Ronan,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
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Pelvic floor disorders can occur when these muscles and tissues are too weak or too tight or don’t facilitate the proper functioning of these organs for other reasons.—
Stacey Colino,
Time,
9 June 2026
Verb
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The morning of June 6, Mellor was back at Boston Logan airport for another trip to Havana, at a time when the United States is trying to tighten economic strings to choke Cuba’s government into change, and the country faces a deepening humanitarian catastrophe.—
Nick Penzenstadler,
USA Today,
6 June 2026
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The law aimed to tighten pretrial release programs and secure public safety after a man stabbed Zarutska to death, unprovoked.—
Julia Coin
June 6,
Charlotte Observer,
6 June 2026
Adjective
-
JPMorgan's traders are getting nervous about the state of the current stock market.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
8 June 2026
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Countless fans have taken to social media with similar issues, but some were too nervous to talk with WBZ-TV on camera for fear of it impacting their status.—
Mike Sullivan,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Adjective
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This approach to archival material thus wrestles with a disturbing present in which family dispossession is both normalized and pathologized in the media every single day.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
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The report, released Thursday, details disturbing accounts from several of Platner’s ex-girlfriends.—
Britta Miller,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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Cleverly shot, the film made good use of its taut 74-minute running time (not counting commercials, of course).—
David Morgan,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
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The dry version is taut, floral and mineral, all apple and meadow flower over a saline core.—
Paul Caputo,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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At one end is the anxious, under‑saved retiree doing everything possible to stretch limited assets.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
7 June 2026
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During the first week of the cell phone ban at my school, students were anxious about losing the constant stream of their music, the ability to maintain instant communication with friends, and the immediate access to their social media feeds.—
Sarah Said,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tense. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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