TENSE: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for TENSE?

Need another word that means the same as “tense”? Find 51 synonyms and 30 related words for “tense” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Tense” are: taut, stretched tight, tight, rigid, stretched, strained, stiff, anxious, nervous, edgy, stressed, under a strain, under pressure, agitated, ill at ease, unrelaxed, in a state of nerves, in a state of agitation, fretful, uneasy, restless, worked up, keyed up, overwrought, wrought up, strung out, jumpy, fidgety, worried, apprehensive, upset, disturbed, panicky, nerve-racking, stressful, worrying, concerning, fraught, charged, nail-biting, worrisome, difficult, uncomfortable, strain, tense up, tighten, tauten, flex, contract, brace, stiffen

Tense as a Verb

Definitions of "Tense" as a verb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “tense” as a verb can have the following definitions:

• Become tense, typically through anxiety or nervousness.
• Make (a muscle or one's body) tight or rigid.
• Cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious.
• Increase the tension on.
• Become tense, nervous, or uneasy.
• Become stretched or tense or taut.

Synonyms of "Tense" as a verb (8 Words)

brace	Support or hold steady and make steadfast with or as if with a brace. He stood with legs braced.
contract	Enter into a contractual arrangement. Plans to encourage people to contract out of the pension scheme.
flex	Exhibit the strength of. The talks were seen as a way for Merkel to flex her well known diplomatic prowess.
stiffen	Become stiff or stiffer. The regime s resistance stiffened.
strain	Rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender. She strained the infant to her bosom again.
tauten	Become taut or tauter. Tauten a rope.
tense up	Become stretched or tense or taut.
tighten	Become tight or tighter. The rope tightened.

Usage Examples of "Tense" as a verb

• He got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up.
• Alternately relax and tense your calf muscle.
• The bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed.
• Her body tensed up.
• Tense the rope manually before tensing the spring.
• He tensed up when he saw his opponent enter the room.
• Carefully stretch and then tense your muscles.

Tense as an Adjective

Definitions of "Tense" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “tense” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• In or of a state of physical or nervous tension.
• Pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in `beat.
• Taut or rigid; stretched tight.
• (of a speech sound, especially a vowel) pronounced with the vocal muscles stretched tight.
• (especially of a muscle) stretched tight or rigid.
• Causing or characterized by anxiety and nervousness.
• Unable to relax because of nervousness, anxiety, or stimulation.

Synonyms of "Tense" as an adjective (43 Words)

agitated	Physically disturbed or set in motion. The agitated mixture foamed and bubbled.
anxious	(of a situation or period of time) causing or characterized by worry or nervousness. Spent an anxious night waiting for the test results.
apprehensive	In fear or dread of possible evil or harm. Apprehensive for one s life.
charged	Of a particle or body or system; having a net amount of positive or negative electric charge. The highly charged issue of abortion.
concerning	Causing anxiety; worrying. A concerning breach of security.
difficult	(of a person) not easy to please or satisfy; awkward. Nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access.
disturbed	Having or resulting from emotional and mental problems. The treatment of disturbed children.
edgy	(of a musical performance or piece of writing) having an intense or sharp quality. He became edgy and defensive.
fidgety	Nervous and unable to relax. I get nervous and fidgety at the dentist.
fraught	Causing or affected by anxiety or stress. Words fraught with meaning.
fretful	Habitually complaining. The baby was crying with a fretful whimper.
ill at ease	Resulting in suffering or adversity.
in a state of agitation	Currently fashionable.
in a state of nerves	Holding office.
jumpy	Being in a tense state. A jumpy pulse.
keyed up	Serving as an essential component.
nail-biting	Characterized by or causing suspense.
nerve-racking	Extremely irritating to the nerves.
nervous	Of or relating to the nervous system. Staying in the house on her own made her nervous.
overwrought	In a state of nervous excitement or anxiety. A pseudo Gothic church far too overwrought for such a small town.
panicky	Thrown into a state of intense fear or desperation. I started to feel panicky and breathless.
restless	Worried and uneasy. A restless night.
rigid	Incapable of adapting or changing to meet circumstances. Rigid bureaucratic controls.
stiff	Powerful. A stiff measure of brandy.
strained	Of a mainly liquid substance having been strained to separate out any solid matter. A strained smile.
stressed	Strengthened by the application of stress during manufacture prestressed. An iambic foot consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable as in delay.
stressful	Causing mental or emotional stress. Corporate finance work can be stressful.
stretched	Extended or spread over a wide area or distance. Broad fields lay stretched on both sides of us.
stretched tight	Extended or spread over a wide area or distance.
strung out	That is on a string.
taut	Stretched or pulled tight; not slack. The fabric stays taut without adhesive.
tight	Of a community or other group of people having close relations tight knit. It was a tight squeeze in the tiny vestibule.
uncomfortable	Providing or experiencing physical discomfort. An uncomfortable way of surprising me just when I felt surest.
under a strain	Lower in rank, power, or authority.
under pressure	Located below or beneath something else.
uneasy	Causing or feeling anxiety; troubled or uncomfortable. An uneasy silence fell on the group.
unrelaxed	Tense. His life was drawing to a close in baffled zeal and unrelaxed strain.
upset	Thrown into a state of disarray or confusion. An upset stomach.
worked up	Open.
worried	Anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems. Not used to a city and worried about small things.
worrisome	Causing distress or worry or anxiety. In a particularly worrisome predicament.
worrying	Causing anxiety about actual or potential problems; alarming. A worrying time.
wrought up	Shaped to fit by or as if by altering the contours of a pliable mass (as by work or effort.

Usage Examples of "Tense" as an adjective

• Tense piano strings.
• He was tense with excitement.
• She tried to relax her tense muscles.
• Relations between the two neighbouring states were tense.
• They waited in tense silence.

Associations of "Tense" (30 Words)

apprehensive	Relating to perception or understanding. Apprehensive about her job.
aroused	Emotionally aroused. The aroused opposition.
complaining	Expressing pain or dissatisfaction of resentment. A complaining boss.
constrained	Lacking spontaneity; not natural. A constrained smile.
constricted	Especially tense; especially in some dialects. Constricted air passages.
cranky	(of a machine) working erratically. He was cranky after eight hours of working.
defuse	Make (a situation) less tense or dangerous. A scheme that teaches officers how to defuse potentially explosive situations.
excitability	Excessive sensitivity of an organ or body part.
fractious	Unpredictably difficult in operation; likely to be troublesome. Fractious components of a communication system.
fret	Provide a musical instrument with frets. His absence during her times awake began to fret her.
fretful	Feeling or expressing distress or irritation. The baby was crying with a fretful whimper.
harassment	A feeling of intense annoyance caused by being tormented. They face daily harassment and assault on the streets.
harried	Feeling strained as a result of having demands persistently made on one; harassed. Harried detectives answer ringing phones.
irritability	An irritable petulant feeling. Symptoms include insomnia and irritability.
jittery	Nervous or unable to relax. Caffeine makes me jittery.
nervous	Of or relating to the nervous system. Nervous disease.
nervously	With nervous excitement. Kevin nervously glanced at his watch.
nervy	Characterized or produced by apprehension or uncertainty. The nervy feats of mountaineers.
peevish	Easily irritated or annoyed. A thin peevish voice.
petulance	An irritable petulant feeling. A slight degree of petulance had crept into his voice.
petulant	(of a person or their manner) childishly sulky or bad-tempered. A petulant shake of the head.
querulous	Complaining in a rather petulant or whining manner. She became querulous and demanding.
sensitize	Make sensitive to a drug or allergen. The kit sensitizes any 35 mm film in hours.
skittish	(of a person) playfully frivolous or unpredictable. A skittish chestnut mare.
strained	Of a mainly liquid substance having been strained to separate out any solid matter. A constrained smile.
testy	Easily irritated or annoyed. His testy disapproving father.
troubled	Characterized by unrest or disorder or insubordination. Troubled areas.
uneasy	Lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance. Gave an uneasy laugh.
uptight	Anxious or angry in a tense and overly controlled way. He is so uptight about everything.