taut

[tawt]

adjective

tauter, tautest 

1. tightly drawn; tense; not slack.

2. emotionally or mentally strained or tense.

   taut nerves.

3. in good order or condition; tidy; neat.

   Synonyms: smart, spruce, trig, trim

taut

/ tɔːt /

adjective

1. tightly stretched; tense

2. showing nervous strain; stressed

3. nautical in good order; neat

Other Word Forms

• tautness noun
• tautly adverb
• untaut adjective
• untautly adverb
• untautness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of taut¹

1275–1325; earlier taught, Middle English tought; akin to tow ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of taut¹

C14 tought; probably related to Old English togian to _tow ¹

Example Sentences

Butts bounce with a youthful recoil while tight close-ups capture hands with hot pink painted fingernails slapping against taut thighs.

From Salon

“I drive more than anyone in the league,” the Sparks guard said, voice taut.

From Los Angeles Times

Unlike so many sprawling family sagas, “Bug Hollow” is taut and compressed; the novel jumps across time and space in short, sharp chapters stripped of sentiment.

From Los Angeles Times

In the mirror it was massive, taut and discolored.

From Los Angeles Times

Goode’s painterly retort — still lifes that held the abstract and the figurative in taut equilibrium — brilliantly neutralized that argument, while adding depth to the object/image dichotomy.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• tense