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
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Recent Examples of tense
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 27 Oct. 2025
The seven states dependent on the river’s dwindling flows have been locked in tense negotiations over this for years.
—Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Carley Millhone, Health, 2 Oct. 2025
Muscles get tensed and strained.
—Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
Every muscle in my body was tensed, waiting for something, anything to happen.
—Sarah Chamberlain, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tense
Adjective
Foxx even celebrated the night and her daughter later on Instagram despite the tense moment.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 27 Oct. 2025
The seven states dependent on the river’s dwindling flows have been locked in tense negotiations over this for years.
—Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
Keep tensing and releasing muscles of the chest, abdomen, pelvis, legs, feet, and toes.
—Carley Millhone, Health, 2 Oct. 2025
Muscles get tensed and strained.
—Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
Fanning’s tensed, squirrelly performance comes to life in these spots, with Polly’s waning trust and fear of betrayal cluing into a wounded self-loathing that becomes the film’s best lasting impression.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
Every muscle in my body was tensed, waiting for something, anything to happen.
—Sarah Chamberlain, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tense
Adjective
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Tang thought about his other friends who are worried about their aging parents.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
26 Oct. 2025
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Too many guys would be too worried about keeping their scholarships, never mind their snaps.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Lawler, the best known of the young actors thanks to her breakout work in Station Eleven, brings welcome awkward humor, while Stack, with the series’ most complex character, conveys an uneasy grasp on sanity that the rest of the show isn’t really prepared to deal with.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
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BofA also points to a record 54% of investors who now believe that AI stocks are in a bubble, according to its most recent Global Fund Manager Survey—another reason for heightened vigilance around the market’s uneasy exuberance.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Other surveys suggest a much tighter race.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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Heat therapy is most beneficial for pain caused by tight or stiff muscles.—
RikkiLynn Shields Hannigan,
Health,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Although Buffalo has allowed just 47 points in its last two games (both losses), the Chiefs offense has people nervous.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
23 Oct. 2025
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Not only are recent graduates nervous that their jobs could be replaced by AI, the application process is also becoming disrupted by the tools.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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So much of what happens in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is disturbing — in particular, the character of Leatherface, the menacing, basement-dwelling killer who eats people and wears their faces after killing them.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
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What makes this even more disturbing is the involvement of teenagers, alcohol, and guns at a large house party.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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Some men avoid the gym or the beach altogether, wear baggy shirts year-round or feel anxious about intimacy.—
Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
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Ottosson says reading the script was an anxious experience in itself.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Louise Hémon The jury would also like to acknowledge a director whose film transported us into an extreme landscape, and created an unsettling atmosphere that kept us contemplating the nature of lust, education, and violence.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
24 Oct. 2025
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Soon, though, her world is turned upside down by an unsettling and persistent stalker — or just a figment of her own fracturing psyche.—
Chris Snellgrove,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tense. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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