tense

¹

[ tens ]

adjective

, tens·er, tens·est.

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. Compare lax ¹( def 7 ).

verb (used with or without object)

, tensed, tens·ing.

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. See lax
   (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”).

Derived Forms

• ˈtenseness, noun
• ˈtensely, adverb
• ˈtenseless, adjective

Other Words From

• tensely adverb
• tenseness noun
• un·tensing adjective

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

The gym—a fragile collective of human ecology at the best of times—has suddenly become even more tense.

From The Daily Beast

A tense commute to work in Houston will start to resemble a tense commute in Boston or New York City.

From The Daily Beast

Elisabetta Piqué, who knew Bergoglio well as a cardinal, writes in the present tense as if to convey real time passing.

From The Daily Beast

I covered New York politics for 15 years, and I saw some awfully tense moments between the police and Democratic politicians.

From The Daily Beast

Since Nestdrop continues to do so as of this writing, they wager a tense gamble that the odds will be in their favor.

From The Daily Beast

Then, as the atmosphere of the room surged back, tense with vitality, her mind leapt forward in welcome.

From Project Gutenberg

He crouched, nerves and muscles tense, controled in spite of the torturous cloud of scalding vapor that pressed close to him.

From Project Gutenberg

The two men eyed one another for a moment of tense silence, and marked suspicion.

From Project Gutenberg

A faint click reaches my tense ear, the streaming lightning burns into my face.

From Project Gutenberg

Will you tell us more about it, please, she whispered in a strange, tense voice; its soso difficult to understand.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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