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
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Recent Examples of tense
Rafael Motamayor, IndieWire, 8 Mar. 2025
With every heart-in-mouth die roll, and only a certain number of turns to play with until your pursuer finds you, this is a brilliantly tense sci-fi RPG.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
Markham Heid, TIME, 13 Dec. 2024
The unidentified caseworker was described in court documents as having his eyes bulging, drooling and his arm muscles tensing during the attack.
—Michelle Cruz, The Arizona Republic, 3 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tense
Adjective
This makes the first half of the film tense, and an interesting introspection of the character’s psyche in a haunted house-style situation — the true nature of which takes a while to become clear.
—Rafael Motamayor, IndieWire, 8 Mar. 2025
With every heart-in-mouth die roll, and only a certain number of turns to play with until your pursuer finds you, this is a brilliantly tense sci-fi RPG.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
Verb
For example, progressive muscle relaxation therapy—an intervention that involves systematically tensing and then relaxing the body’s muscles—was found to reduce anxiety and depression in patients with prostate cancer, according to research in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
—Markham Heid, TIME, 13 Dec. 2024
The unidentified caseworker was described in court documents as having his eyes bulging, drooling and his arm muscles tensing during the attack.
—Michelle Cruz, The Arizona Republic, 3 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tense
Adjective
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Safety concerns Residents were also worried about the safety of the gravel roads for horses.—
Emma Hall,
Sacramento Bee,
1 Mar. 2025
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Vistra is in talks with regulators and communities who are worried about how locating data centers next to power plants will affect the electric grid, Burke said.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The film follows Ne Zha, a demon child raised by humans, who must embark on a perilous quest to obtain an elixir to restore the body of his uneasy ally, the dragon prince Ao Bing.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2025
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Based on the Chinese novel Fengshen Yanyi (Investiture Of The Gods), the story follows a demon child raised by humans, who forms an uneasy alliance with the dragon prince, Ao Bing, in an epic battle to protect their clans.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This prevents dormant accounts with unlimited access from becoming potential security risks over a period of time, ensuring tighter control over permissions.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
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Few films have ever induced such immense tonal whiplash while exhibiting such tight formal control over their transformations.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Portugal and Greece Ramp Up Golden Visas Golden visas offer EU residency through investment, but rising concerns over housing, security and fairness have caused many countries to shut them down or tighten regulations.—
Passport by ForbesLife,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
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But the race has tightened between him and Brody, who is predicted to take home the Best Actor prize for his riveting performance as a Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor in the three-and-half hour-plus saga.—
Karu F. Daniels,
New York Daily News,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Some Trump advisers were nervous the deal might go south before the ceremonial signing, but felt confident by the time Mr. Trump greeted Zelenskyy.—
Jennifer Jacobs,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2025
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At the premiere of that film, Brothers At War, in 2009, Joe was nervous.—
Eileen Finan,
People.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The fact that adult writers are spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices is disturbing.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
3 Mar. 2025
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These findings should be deeply disturbing to Western policymakers, for at least two reasons.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent is a taut re-creation of a real event that took place during the Bosnian War, which has unfortunate parallels to our own trajectory.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2025
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Along with director Edward Berger, Peter Straughan’s taut adaptation approaches the material with intimacy or big bold brushstrokes as required, crafting juicy roles for one of the year’s most outstanding ensembles.—
Scott Feinberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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While many companies rapidly integrate AI, this data reveals a growing disconnect: employees are increasingly anxious about its impact.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
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But raising cash remains a challenge for some, with investors anxious about startups courting enough customers for healthy returns, Pershad said.—
Liang Lei,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to tense
Cite this Entry
“Tense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tense. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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