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
as in tightening
to draw tight
he tensed his muscles and attempted to lift the heavy appliance onto the truck
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
Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 22 May 2025
If the last interaction with someone was tense, even a neutral question can feel terse.
—Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Feb. 2025
Polished in its visuals but tensed from the get-go by a sinister electronic score, melding procedural and a shockingly incomprehensible reality, the suspense thriller builds as a potent mixture where the past also weighs heavily, in personal, historical and fantasy terms.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tense
Adjective
The cross examination was short and to the point with this expert witness — a change of pace from tense cross with the digital forensic witness Shanon Burgess the previous two days.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 22 May 2025
If the last interaction with someone was tense, even a neutral question can feel terse.
—Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
Verb
Once in a while, a steer will break loose, causing the presenters to tense up.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Feb. 2025
Polished in its visuals but tensed from the get-go by a sinister electronic score, melding procedural and a shockingly incomprehensible reality, the suspense thriller builds as a potent mixture where the past also weighs heavily, in personal, historical and fantasy terms.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tense
Adjective
-
However, because the pool was shallow, Lisberg was less worried.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
25 May 2025
-
While Herzig is hoping to win a million dollars, his guests are all worried about their own various fantasy teams, mostly competing for a few hundred bucks.—
David Hill,
Rolling Stone,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
In the wake of multiple plane crashes, and amid erratic federal policies and denials and detentions at border crossings, summer travel in the U.S. is in an uneasy state.—
Kevinisha Walker,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2025
-
The opening moments cement its tonal dissonance as, with a twang of Daniel Kowalski’s spare, uneasy score, a brief prologue with fire, a flailing figure and mutterings about Satan snaps to a far more banal view of an empty street lined with dim, shuttered houses under a low, gray sky.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
The two have to be considered the tightest friendship pair in franchise history, and went through an emotional roller coaster filled with highs and lows along the way.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
22 May 2025
-
That might be tricky given New York’s tight cap situation.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
The price of gold tends to move when markets get nervous – and so does the gold.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
-
It should also be noted that Demings is more than a little nervous right now about making any public promises about helping to finance a baseball stadium.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
Nothing has officially happened yet, but the tension is disturbing with the consequences potentially devastating.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 May 2025
-
That’s a quite disturbing possibility since AGI could wield such an act on a scale of immense magnitude and with globally adverse consequences.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
The final showdown involves a clever variation on the taut bomb-defusing scenario that had already become cliché for these movies, and no amount of Tom Cruise running gives many of the action sequences much distinction.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
23 May 2025
-
Who would tap a director unproven on a feature level to direct a taut action thriller movie with a $150 million budget?—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
In the novel’s historical re-creation, is there an anxious note to Americans now losing themselves in accommodation?—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
23 May 2025
-
An inaccurate diagnosis might lead to unnecessary or risky treatment, and a false positive can cause stress by requiring additional tests and anxious waits for results.—
Max Votek,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
For Armstrong, capturing the humanity of these men paints a more unsettling portrait than pure billionaire-trolling might.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
30 May 2025
-
The main case under investigation is unsettling and satisfyingly intricate, with ample thematic connections to Morck, Akram and Rose’s respective forms of psychological damage.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tense. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share