tense

¹

[tens]

adjective

tenser, tensest 

1. stretched tight, as a cord, fiber, etc.; drawn taut; rigid.

2. in a state of mental or nervous strain; high-strung; taut.

   a tense person.

3. characterized by a strain upon the nerves or feelings.

   a tense moment.

4. Phonetics.,  pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles; narrow.

verb (used with or without object)

tensed, tensing 

1. to make or become tense.

tense

²

[tens]

noun

1. a category of verbal inflection that serves chiefly to specify the time of the action or state expressed by the verb.

2. a set of such categories or constructions in a particular language.

3. the time, as past, present, or future, expressed by such a category.

4. such categories or constructions, or their meanings collectively.

tense

¹

/ tɛns /

adjective

1. stretched or stressed tightly; taut or rigid

2. under mental or emotional strain

3. producing mental or emotional strain

   a tense day

4. (of a speech sound) pronounced with considerable muscular effort and having relatively precise accuracy of articulation and considerable duration Compare lax

   in English the vowel (iː) in ``beam'' is tense

verb

1. (often foll by up) to make or become tense

tense

²

/ tɛns /

noun

1. grammar a category of the verb or verbal inflections, such as present, past, and future, that expresses the temporal relations between what is reported in a sentence and the time of its utterance

tense

1. An inflectional (see inflection) form of verbs; it expresses the time at which the action described by the verb takes place. The major tenses are past, present, and future. The verb in “I sing” is in the present tense; in “I sang,” past tense; in “I will sing,” future tense. Other tenses are the present perfect (“I have sung”), the past perfect (“I had sung”), and the future perfect (“I will have sung”).

Other Word Forms

• tensely adverb
• tenseness noun
• untensing adjective
• tenseless adjective
• tenselessly adverb
• tenselessness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tense¹

First recorded in 1660–70; from Latin tēnsus, past participle of tendere “to stretch”; tend ¹

Origin of tense²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tens, from Middle French, from Latin tempus “time”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tense¹

C17: from Latin tensus taut, from tendere to stretch

Origin of tense²

C14: from Old French tens time, from Latin tempus

Example Sentences

She got on well with Harold Wilson and John Major but had a much more tense relationship with Margaret Thatcher.

From BBC

Neighbours India and Pakistan share a tense relationship which has often spilled over into hostility, like in May this year, when the countries engaged in a four-day military conflict.

From BBC

With, among others, Singapore, Mexico, Brazil and Las Vegas still to come before the finale in Abu Dhabi in December, this is a tense time for the budget spreadsheet.

From BBC

In 2022, the California Fish and Game Commission deadlocked on whether to adopt the listing after hours of tense debate.

From Los Angeles Times

But I remember when I realized I really had it bad was when an ex-girlfriend told me, “Before shows, you get really antsy. You have this energy that’s scattered and you walk around really tense.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• agitated 
• anxious 
• apprehensive 
• edgy 
• excited 
• jittery 
• nervous 
• restive 
• shaky 
• strained 
• stressful 
• uneasy