tension 1 of 2

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tension

2 of 2

verb

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 tension
Noun
Unfortunately, in overloading the series, a lot of the tension and sharpness dissipated. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 29 May 2025 These tensions are relevant today, where the challenges of combining creativity and industrial production persist. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 29 May 2025
Verb
The team will separate and individually tension each of the five sunshield layers, stretching them into their final shape. Julia Musto, Fox News, 2 Jan. 2022 Will tension between hawks and doves be the defining characteristic of Juntos going forward? Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes, 14 Nov. 2021 See All Example Sentences for tension
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tension
Noun
  • One of the ways that happened, Lam said, came in the form of U.S. political pressure on foreign governments or private industry to negotiate mutually beneficial agreements between Indigenous peoples and their governments.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 June 2025
  • And the defense provided minimal pressure on the Fever (4-4), who shot 45.8% (27-for-59) from the floor even after rotating in bench players for the majority of the fourth quarter.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2025
Verb
  • Chronic impacts of emotional abuse can include anxiety, depression, insomnia, binge drinking or substance abuse and muscle tension from flinching or tensing up, Patel says.
    Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 16 May 2025
  • Losing one-goal leads had threatened to become a theme against Dallas, but a fast start saw the Stars begin to tense up, instead of the other way ’round.
    Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Knowing how to handle feelings of panic and stress can be a matter of life and death.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 5 June 2025
  • Instead of China’s current licensing regime, the EU trade chief said the bloc prefers a systematic solution, such as a general application once a year for each company, to avoid paperwork delays and stress applied to the industry.
    John Liu, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • Entry to the holy cities has likewise been tightened.
    Juwayriah Wright, Time, 4 June 2025
  • The Xtreme 4 just tightens that formula even more, now for $130 less.
    Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • In the last decade or so, the prevalent strain is fighters not merely driven by their fathers but actually trained by them.
    Mark Kriegel June 4, Literary Hub, 4 June 2025
  • This distorted, ultra-abrasive strain of plugg isn’t the first underground rap subgenre to be taken over by cornballs with little interest in the actual scene.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 4 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Tension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tension. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

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