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
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
-
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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Some are bigger than others: economic uncertainty, changing customer behaviors, personal isolation, leadership burnout, marketing crisis, brand reputation, uneasy board members, investor expectations, consumer confidence, health issues and family challenges.—
Nancy Padberg,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
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But Musk’s rebuke has energized fiscal hawks in the Senate who were already uneasy with the legislation’s scope.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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The realization was emotional as the two had developed a tight bond.—
Angela Andaloro,
People.com,
3 June 2025
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For wineries accustomed to tight quality control, the conditions are difficult to navigate.—
Rachel King,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
Verb
-
The Xtreme 4 just tightens that formula even more, now for $130 less.—
Shubham Yewale,
PC Magazine,
4 June 2025
-
Entry to the holy cities has likewise been tightened.—
Juwayriah Wright,
Time,
4 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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The withdrawn teen obsessively draws dark spiders in class and shows a disturbing fixation on news reports of school shootings.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
6 June 2025
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His disturbing legacy drew the attention of filmmaker and former HBO executive Kary Antholis, who had followed the case for decades.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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He’s had a particularly taut tightrope to walk on Medicaid, called Medi-Cal in California.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
5 June 2025
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The fly hangs on its own taut line below the mesh tent peak and simply pulls closed from inside.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
2 June 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
Cite this Entry
“Tense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tense. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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