1
as in worried
feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty
was tense about the upcoming bar exam
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tight
stretched with little or no give
a tense rope
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tense
Joey Nolfi Published, EW.com, 30 May 2025
Oklahoma City led by as many as 39 points to turn an otherwise tense deciding game Wednesday into a blowout, led by 34 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who last week was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 29 May 2025
Jeffrey Collins, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2025
Moore briefly smiled, may have tensed her jaw and uttered one word to the person next to her, according to a lip-reader hired by the Daily Mail to decipher her reaction.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tense
Adjective
The tense exchange came Friday morning after Joy Behar introduced a Hot Topic about Democrats investing in communications with young male voters after Trump over performed with the demographic when Americans headed to the polls last year.
—Joey Nolfi Published, EW.com, 30 May 2025
Oklahoma City led by as many as 39 points to turn an otherwise tense deciding game Wednesday into a blowout, led by 34 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who last week was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 29 May 2025
Verb
Sigmon’s arms briefly tensed when he was shot, and the target was blasted off his chest.
—Jeffrey Collins, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2025
Moore briefly smiled, may have tensed her jaw and uttered one word to the person next to her, according to a lip-reader hired by the Daily Mail to decipher her reaction.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tense
Adjective
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Georgia, too, is worried about Ginny's behind-the-scenes machinations.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
7 June 2025
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The freemium search engine Kagi isn't worried about having the most comprehensive index.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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To the south, there’s the United Arab Emirates, where again, there has been an uneasy relationship at times.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Trump’s new team, new strategy With Leo sidelined, Trump’s judicial nominations are now being shaped by a tighter circle of aides and outside activists.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
3 June 2025
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Baker’s tight editing really comes into play here and proves worthy of Douglas Sirk at his height.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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The video highlighted how visibly nervous Jessie was while using jokes to get through the show.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
6 June 2025
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Sarah was nervous before the NBA Draft Following an athlete's personal journey can be exhilarating and emotional, as Sarah experienced in the lead-up to the 2022 NBA Draft.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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Nothing has officially happened yet, but the tension is disturbing with the consequences potentially devastating.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 May 2025
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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
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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
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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
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On Tires, Gerben plays Will, the anxious and unqualified son of the auto-repair chain's owner.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
5 June 2025
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As a result, children can become frustrated and anxious when trying to learn math.—
Jennifer Pierce,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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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 10 Jun. 2025.
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