tense

tense — adjective

1. feeling worried or nervous, with your mind unable to calm down, often because so

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

feeling worried or nervous, with your mind unable to calm down, often because something uncertain or stressful is about to happen.

Example

Andrés always feels tense before a big exam, even if he studied well.

feel tense + about + event

Rania was so tense during the job interview that her voice kept shaking.

Common collocations
  • feel tense
  • get tense
  • tense about
  • look tense
  • sound tense
Synonyms
  • anxious

    more long-lasting or clinical; can describe a personality type

  • nervous

    everyday word for feeling worried about a specific event

  • uneasy

    vague discomfort without a clear cause

  • stressed

    emotional strain from pressure or overwork

Antonyms
  • relaxed

    free from stress or worry

  • calm

    not agitated, in control of feelings

  • at ease

    comfortable and unworried

Grammar Patterns

be/get/feel tense

tense + about + noun phrase

Usage Note

Tense describes a temporary emotional state, not a long-term personality trait. For someone who worries often or has a worried personality, use 'anxious' instead.

Common Mistakes

I am tensed about the test.
I am tense about the test.
'tensed' is the verb past form, not an adjective.

2. describes a situation, atmosphere, or relationship in which people feel worry, a

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes a situation, atmosphere, or relationship in which people feel worry, anger, or nervousness that is not openly expressed.

Example

The atmosphere in the meeting room was tense after the manager announced the layoffs.

tense + atmosphere / situation

Asher tried to lighten the tense mood with a joke, but nobody laughed.

Common collocations
  • tense atmosphere
  • tense situation
  • tense moment
  • tense silence
  • tense relationship
Synonyms
  • strained

    suggests visible effort to suppress conflict

  • stressful

    focuses on the pressure the situation creates

  • fraught

    more formal; filled with something unpleasant

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

tense + noun (atmosphere/moment/silence)

be/become tense

Usage Note

A situation is tense, not nervous. 'Nervous' describes a person's feelings; 'tense' describes the mood of the situation itself.

Common Mistakes

The meeting was very tensed.
The meeting was very tense.
Use the adjective 'tense', not the verb form 'tensed'.

3. when a muscle or other body part is pulled firm and not relaxed, often from fear

3.adjectiveB1
Definition

when a muscle or other body part is pulled firm and not relaxed, often from fear, nervousness, or physical effort.

Example

Anna's shoulders felt tense after sitting at her desk for eight hours straight.

tense + body part (shoulders/neck/jaw)

Élise noticed the cat's tense body and knew it was getting ready to pounce.

Common collocations
  • tense muscles
  • tense shoulders
  • tense neck
  • tense jaw
  • feel tense
Synonyms
  • taut

    more common for ropes, cables, or stretched fabric

  • stiff

    less elastic; hard to move

  • rigid

    extremely stiff, unable to bend

  • tight

    general word for firmness

Antonyms
  • relaxed

    loose, not tight

  • loose

    not firmly held or fixed

  • slack

    not tight, especially of muscles or ropes

Grammar Patterns

tense + body part (neck/shoulder/jaw/muscle)

be/feel tense

Usage Note

Commonly describes the neck, shoulders, jaw, and back after long periods of stress or physical activity. 'Tense' in this sense focuses on the physical feeling of tightness, not the emotional cause.

Common Mistakes

My muscles are tensing.' (when you mean they feel tight)
My muscles are tense.
'tensing' describes the action of becoming tight, not the state of being tight.

4. in phonetics, describes a vowel or consonant produced with greater muscular effo

4.adjectiveC1
Definition

in phonetics, describes a vowel or consonant produced with greater muscular effort in the vocal tract, compared to other sounds of the same type.

Example

Sivan learned that the vowel in 'beat' is tense, while the one in 'bit' is lax.

tense vowel vs. lax vowel in English

Piotr practised making his tongue muscles tense when he pronounced the long vowels in class.

Common collocations
  • tense vowel
  • tense consonant
  • tense sound
Synonyms
  • fortis

    the equivalent term for consonants, meaning 'strong'

  • checked

    an older term for certain tense vowels

Antonyms
  • lax

    produced with less muscular effort, e.g. the vowel in 'bit'

  • lenis

    the equivalent term for weak consonants

Grammar Patterns

tense + vowel/consonant

Usage Note

This is a technical term used mainly in linguistics and phonetics courses. It is the opposite of 'lax'. Tense vowels are typically longer and produced with more tongue-root advancement.

tense — noun

tense — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe unease, but they differ in duration, cause, and register. 'Tense' (B1) is a temporary state of emotional strain, often with visible physical signs — a tense person may clench their jaw or pace the room. 'Nervous' (A2) is the most common everyday word; it describes mild worry about a specific upcoming event, such as an exam or a flight. 'Anxious' (B2) can be more serious and longer-lasting; it is used in clinical contexts for generalized anxiety disorder, while 'tense' never is. 'Strained' (B2) suggests visible effort to control anger or frustration, often in relationships or social settings — a strained conversation feels forced. For a learner: 'I'm nervous about my test tomorrow' is natural. 'I feel tense before a job interview' emphasizes the physical tightness. 'She looked strained after arguing with her boss' suggests suppressed anger.

tense ↗nervous ↗anxious ↗strained

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • extremely tense
  • incredibly tense
  • visibly tense
  • increasingly tense

Phrases

  • get tense
  • feel tense
  • become tense
  • remain tense
  • tense up

Prepositions

  • tense about
  • tense with
  • tense from
  • tense over

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'tense' comes from Latin 'tensus', the past participle of 'tendere' meaning 'to stretch'. It entered English through French 'tens' in the 1600s. The physical meaning ('stretched tight') came first, followed by the emotional meaning ('strained with worry'). The grammar meaning developed separately from Latin 'tempus' (time), which influenced the spelling of 'tense' through a centuries-old confusion between the two Latin roots.