taut

[ tawt ]
See synonyms for: tauttautness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,taut·er, taut·est.
  1. tightly drawn; tense; not slack.

  2. emotionally or mentally strained or tense: taut nerves.

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

Origin of taut

1
1275–1325; earlier taught,Middle English tought; akin to tow1

Other words for taut

Other words from taut

  • tautly, adverb
  • tautness, noun
  • un·taut, adjective
  • un·taut·ly, adverb
  • un·taut·ness, noun

Words that may be confused with taut

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use taut in a sentence

  • Dalgetty, poised in a nervous tautness that could explode into physical strength, felt a clutch of fear.

    The Sensitive Man | Poul William Anderson
  • The stranger was a large schooner, and the tautness of the spars and rigging showed that she was in beautiful order.

    With Clive in India | G. A. Henty
  • She had the same appearance now as then, the same tautness of body, the same flat, constrained tone.

    No Clue | James Hay
  • Their faces held a quiet tautness, and General Ohlmsted's hand, holding a cigar, was shaking a little.

    Call Him Savage | John Pollard

British Dictionary definitions for taut

taut

/ (tɔːt) /


adjective
  1. tightly stretched; tense

  2. showing nervous strain; stressed

  1. mainly nautical in good order; neat

Origin of taut

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

Derived forms of taut

  • tautly, adverb
  • tautness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012