1
as in worried
feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty
was tense about the upcoming bar exam
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uneasy
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings
a tense relationship existed between the two teachers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tight
stretched with little or no give
a tense rope
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of tense
Phil Wahba, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2024
Sadly, we were robbed of any repulsive body horror on this lovely Halloween day (sorry, gore-hounds), but at least we were left with one helluva cliffhanger heading into its tense season closer.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 31 Oct. 2024
Erica Sloan, SELF, 15 Aug. 2024
There's also Pranayama Fire Breath—the forceful exhalations through tensing the abs, which has been found to help with cognitive function.
—Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 3 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tense 
Adjective
Schultz also antagonized store workers during a time of tense relations between the company and employees during his third stint as CEO.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2024
Sadly, we were robbed of any repulsive body horror on this lovely Halloween day (sorry, gore-hounds), but at least we were left with one helluva cliffhanger heading into its tense season closer.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
Then the phone would ring, and you would be tensed up.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 15 Aug. 2024
There's also Pranayama Fire Breath—the forceful exhalations through tensing the abs, which has been found to help with cognitive function.
—Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 3 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tense
Adjective
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Ben Affleck is not worried about AI taking over Hollywood.Zack Sharf, Variety, 18 Nov. 2024
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At the same time, Democrats hoped that all their voters would be willing to cast their ballot for democracy, not realizing that many working-class Americans, even the liberal ones, are more worried about the economy and inflation.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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That raises uneasy questions about Worthington’s social fabric and how to celebrate distinct cultures while overcoming ethnic self-segregation.Giovanna Dell'orto, Twin Cities, 31 Oct. 2024
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Apostates ties hunters with these organizations more closely as uneasy allies, rivals or even direct antagonists.Rob Wieland, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The company’s markets wagered correctly and controversially in Donald Trump’s favor in bets on who would win the presidential election, even though opinion polls showed a tight race.Sophia Pargas, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
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Incumbent Leonel Talavera and her opponent, Vanesa Estrella, are locked in a tight race for Area 5.Alexcia Negrete, Orange County Register, 9 Nov. 2024
Verb
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The proposal was, in fact, a calculated business maneuver designed to bring in billions of dollars in new revenue, box competitors out of lucrative government contracts and tighten the company’s grip on federal business.Renee Dudley, ProPublica, 15 Nov. 2024
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In recent days, the race between Trump and Harris has seemingly tightened as betting markets – which previously showed Trump as favorite – narrowed, and with pollsters describing it as a 50-50 toss up.John Hyatt, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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There’s really nothing to be nervous about, just the optics of everything.Peter A. Berry, Billboard, 18 Nov. 2024
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Still, Trump kept Republicans nervous by mixing in messages of grievance up until the very end of the race, veering off a script on inflation and immigration that operatives believed was more effective in winning over persuadable voters.Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The issue is complicated by the fact that those on X likely see Musk's posts with almost disturbing regularity.Peter Suciu, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
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Hammer’s talent agency, WME, drops him. March 11, 2021: Vanity Fair publishes a bizarre bombshell article on the Hammer family, outlining Hammer’s upbringing in the Cayman Islands and revealing multiple disturbing details about his relatives.Lydia Wang, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Unbearably taut, the 40-second sequence of people shrieking in suffering as they're pulled into Jean Jacket's maw proves that gore-free horror is equally, if not more, scarring.Keith Staskiewicz, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
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The camera zooms in on Sue’s taut, luminescent flesh, which bounces in the light, causing the men around her to stare agog like cartoon characters.Daisy Jones, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Boutin has been in remission from thyroid cancer since August, but just had a related surgery last week and the couple was anxious about Boutin inhaling any smoke.CNN.com, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
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Joe Biden lost North Carolina by just over one percentage point in 2020, but Harris has been tied or ahead in several recent polls there, and the Trump campaign has been increasingly anxious about it.The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Tense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tense. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
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