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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3
as in tight
stretched with little or no give
a tense rope
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of tense
Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 8 Jan. 2025
Animosity has been sky-high between the two sides, after over 100 investigators from the CIO anti-corruption agency and the police retreated from the residence after a tense standoff with the presidential security service.
—Hakyung Kate Lee, ABC News, 8 Jan. 2025
Michelle Cruz, The Arizona Republic, 3 Dec. 2024
And that lack of oxygen makes our muscles tense up and restricts blood flow.
—Marielle Segarra, NPR, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tense 
Adjective
The event is expected to reunite all five living U.S. presidents after a tense election year.
—Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 8 Jan. 2025
Animosity has been sky-high between the two sides, after over 100 investigators from the CIO anti-corruption agency and the police retreated from the residence after a tense standoff with the presidential security service.
—Hakyung Kate Lee, ABC News, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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
And that lack of oxygen makes our muscles tense up and restricts blood flow.
—Marielle Segarra, NPR, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tense
Adjective
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Few folks are worried about how the yard looks, but Travis Hogan has a keen interest in green grass in January.Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 13 Jan. 2025
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But the more time Zuckerberg spends in Mar-a-Lago, the more Sam Altman and Tim Cook should be worried.Alex Heath, The Verge, 12 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The addition of such real-life clips—including that of the anchor Jim McKay—gives September 5 a documentary-like feel, cleverly immersing viewers into the uneasy headspace of those inside the studio.Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2025
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Congress passed the law that would force a sale in April with bipartisan support as lawmakers from both parties have been uneasy over the app’s ties to China.Nik Popli, TIME, 9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Steichen’s tight lips, Zaire Franklin’s podcast and an anonymous Colts player who voiced his frustrations to the media.James Boyd, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
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Her blond tresses were pulled back into a tight bun held together by a large clip.Julia Teti, WWD, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But that didn’t stop Greenbaum from being a little nervous about screening the film for Harper and Will.Matthew Carey, Deadline, 12 Jan. 2025
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Though landing a recurring character is usually a good thing for an actor, Hilton was nervous about fans’ reception.Alexandra Schonfeld, People.com, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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While the Eagles triumphed 22-10, advancing to the NFC Divisional Round, the victory was overshadowed by the disturbing exchange in the stands.Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
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The disturbing new figures are inching close to the same number of people — 1.5 million— who were internally displaced by Haiti’s cataclysmic earthquake, which struck 15 years ago on Jan. 12, 2010.Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Advertisement Like a taut earthquake fault that too often unbelts itself and cuts loose with repellent force, a deep lode of hate and racist one-upmanship undergirds Southern California.Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
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But unlike explorations of this taut dynamic before it, Mangold’s film subtly grapples with what exactly this taking looks like.Katherine Singh, refinery29.com, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Beyond those under mandatory evacuation, many more, including many families and anxious pet owners, have left because of poor air quality or general wariness of the county’s precarious state.Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
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Interview Crush on the Cross: An Interview with Anthony Oliveira Jason Kirk The author of Dayspring discusses queerness, Christianity, and the anxious sense that history is over.Max Ufberg, hazlitt.net, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The unsettling echo of the book’s title struck me and many others.Jay Feinman, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2025
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The case involving the Louisiana patient, however, was followed by an unsettling finding.Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Tense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tense. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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