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

While the hot-cold cycles didn’t completely erase the tension of being confined in a car with my kids, sneaking away to the adults-only mineral pools — one enriched with magnesium, another with potassium — was a nice reset. — Jamie Siebrase, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2026

It’s been a long and hard journey since Honda announced its return as a full F1 PU manufacturer with Aston in 2023, but tensions peaked in Australia when both parties, along with the rest of the world, realized just how dire things were. — Jerry Perez, The Drive, 20 Aug. 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