tightened 1 of 2

past tense of tighten
as in tensed
to draw tight tighten the straps on the backpack so that the load doesn't shift while hiking

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tightened

2 of 2

adjective

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 tightened
Adjective
Earlier this month, China significantly tightened its restrictions on rare earth elements, which make up a key input in semiconductors found in an array of products from cars to home appliances. Max Zahn, ABC News, 23 Oct. 2025 The garment tightened at the waist while the top hung relatively loosely, and the midi-length column featured a thigh-high slit. Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025 As law enforcement efforts tightened along traditional routes, cartels shifted west, taking advantage of the vastness of the Pacific to evade detection. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025 Separate from the spending crisis, recently enacted federal law changes tightened work requirements for certain SNAP recipients and shifted part of administrative costs to states, scheduled for full implementation by 2026. Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025 Sixty-three percent (63%) of respondents say their financial situation has worsened over the past 12 months, and 65% report their grocery budgets have tightened. Darin Detwiler, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025 Trump hiked tariffs this month after China tightened export restrictions on the materials and has pushed for a supply chain that's independent of the Asian country. Alex Harring, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2025 Belt Most bathrobes are tightened and held together with a self-tie belt, and kimono robes are no exception. Bestreviews, Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2025 The change represents a shift in how OpenAI approaches content restrictions, which the company had loosened in February but then dramatically tightened after an August lawsuit from parents of a teen who died by suicide after allegedly receiving encouragement from ChatGPT. ArsTechnica, 15 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tightened
Verb
  • While biting, their jaw muscles tensed to squeeze venom into their meal.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 23 Oct. 2025
  • My skin felt dirty, and my stomach tensed with fear.
    Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Many companies turn to private debt to avoid overreliance on dilutive equity or inflexible bank financing.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Bryant wrote that his finger remained inflexible for the rest of his life.
    Christian Clark, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The interruption to food assistance next month would be one of the most consequential impacts yet of a government shutdown that has now stretched into its fourth week.
    Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2025
  • After a contentious few weeks for city officials, Carmel passed its 2026 budget during a council meeting that stretched on for nearly four hours Monday night.
    Jake Allen, IndyStar, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Unlike the plush option that just comes with down clusters, the mid-plush and firm densities are down cluster and feather pillows.
    Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Last year, Staged to Sell worked on more than a hundred and thirty properties around the city; aesthetic sense is nothing without a firm grasp of logistics.
    Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Martin, who is fifty-four, is the most commercially successful songwriter of the twenty-first century; his work is meticulous and precise, and his songs are taut, balanced, unyielding.
    Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
  • In a market chock full of unknowns, there is an unyielding rhythm on Wall Street.
    Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Today’s flats are a far cry from the stiff styles of my childhood.
    Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 20 Oct. 2025
  • The branches are a bit stiffer and the branches kind of stick straight out, the tree might not be as natural looking as some others on the market.
    Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • When considering his crimes or getting ready to commit another, Chernus’s eyes grow cold, his voice deep and sharp, his body language more taut and authoritative.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Its taut construction and metal hardware trace directly back to Demeulemeester’s early experiments with tension and release — the interplay that shaped her gothic romanticism and cemented her place in Antwerp’s avant-garde.
    Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • While skinny jeans hug the body tightly from waist to leg, straight-leg jeans tend to be more rigid and fit slightly looser, especially through the lower part of the leg.
    Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2025
  • How underparenting is similar to other parenting styles As with slow parenting, underparenting doesn’t stick to a rigid routine—there is space to change plans and make space in their schedule for downtime.
    Alex Vance, Parents, 21 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Tightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tightened. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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