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
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 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
Eileen Finan, People.com, 18 Dec. 2024
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
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
Her muscles had been tensing up to compensate for her vocal cord.
—Eileen Finan, People.com, 18 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for tense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tense
Adjective
-
About 47 million people faced an enhanced to moderate severe storm threat from Madison, Wis., to Birmingham, Ala. Forecasters grew increasingly worried that intense thunderstorms farther south will likely bring an even greater tornado threat Saturday.—
Sean Murphy and Russ Bynum,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Mar. 2025
-
That’s going to be important because many people are worried about the health of the consumer.—
Adam Sarhan,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
Yes, corporate budgets are tightening, but cutting employee benefits is a mistake that will ultimately harm everyone as well as the bottom line.—
Danaya Wilson,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
-
This came despite President Joe Biden signing his own executive order in 2021 to tighten enforcement by fining hospitals that did not comply.—
Marquise Francis,
NBC News,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Trump won't be on the ballot again, but this week had to make a lot of Republicans who will be very nervous.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Mitch [Hurwitz, the show creator] was very nervous.—
Aaron Couch,
The Hollywood Reporter,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The fact that adult writers are spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices is disturbing.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
3 Mar. 2025
-
These findings should be deeply disturbing to Western policymakers, for at least two reasons.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
In a time when many workers are anxious about what AI means for their roles, leaders who speak to both the potential and the limits of AI are earning deeper trust and keeping their teams engaged.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
-
Jacob Tremblay plays Winston's anxious stepson Wade.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
Articles Related to tense
Cite this Entry
“Tense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tense. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share