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What is another word for tense?

Need synonyms for tense? Here's a list of similar words from our thesaurus that you can use instead.

Contexts ▼

Physically unyielding, taut or stiff

Feeling anxious, nervous, or under stress

Characterized by, or tending to cause, agitation or anxiety

Feeling irritable, bad-tempered, or grumpy

Marked by a likelihood to threaten the safety of a person or persons

Potentially violent or dangerous, especially of a situation

Striking in appearance or effect

Having or producing a sudden sense of thrilling excitement

Not easily bent or changed in shape

Looking tense, tired or stressed, typically from cold or hunger

Discordant, conflicting or bitter

Having (been) worked to the point of fatigue, exhaustion, or great stress

Full of knots, knotty

To draw or make tight or taut

To reduce in size, especially through the application of pressure

To cause mental or emotional strain or tension in

To ready oneself for a challenging experience

To (excessively) exert for a particular task, purpose or goal

Grammatical form indicating actions or states that will happen or exist after the present moment

… more ▼

Adjective

Physically unyielding, taut or stiff

“The rope was as tense as a fiddle-string.”

Adjective

Feeling anxious, nervous, or under stress

in a state of agitation

on pins and needles

in a state of nerves

a bundle of nerves

bundle of nerves

like a cat on a hot tin roof

all of a dither

like a cat on hot bricks

discombobulated

all of a lather

in a cold sweat

all of a doodah

hot and bothered

like a fish out of water

bricking oneself

discountenanced

having butterflies in the stomach

with your heart in your mouth

feeling anxious

hot under the collar

beside yourself

with one's stomach in knots

waiting for the axe to fall

shaking in one's shoes

having cold feet

waiting with bated breath

easily frightened

easily agitated

all of a flutter

champing at the bit

sweating bullets

tossing and turning

on the defensive

anxiously waiting

nervously awaiting

fearfully anticipating

apprehensively expecting

having cabin fever

mentally unsettled

on the qui vive

having stage fright

having a funny feeling

lacking social skills

emotionally charged

tearing one's hair out

out of countenance

unsure of yourself

at sixes and sevens

apprehensive about

terror-stricken

scared to death

hot-and-bothered

throwing a wobbly

horror-stricken

out of your mind

hot under collar

at the end of your tether

shaking like a leaf

scared out of your wits

frightened out of your wits

frightened to death

restlessly moving

paralysed with fear^UK

chicken-hearted

frozen with fear

paralyzed with fear^US

chicken-livered

heavy with grief

racked with suffering

overcome with sorrow

racked with pain

in fear and trepidation

pushing the panic button

with bated breath

lacking confidence

lacking self-confidence

lacking in confidence

lacking assurance

not self-assured

with a steady pulse

more ❯

“At the time, I remember feeling tense about the whole prospect of looking for another career on top of everything else that was happening.”

Adjective

Characterized by, or tending to cause, agitation or anxiety

demoralising^UK

demoralizing^US

causing discomfort

emotionally draining

poverty-stricken

unfavourable^UK

disadvantageous

suggestive of evil

heart-wrenching

more ❯

“However, unlike the tense atmosphere outside, the atmosphere in the courtyard was extremely joyous.”

Adjective

Feeling irritable, bad-tempered, or grumpy

ill-humoured^UK

having got out of bed the wrong side

having got out of bed on the wrong side

like a bear with a sore head

on a short fuse

as cross as two sticks

easily offended

bundle of nerves

having short fuse

hot under collar

hot under the collar

perversely irritable

confrontational

uncommunicative

foaming at the mouth

bent out of shape

spoiling for a fight

have chip on shoulder

in high dudgeon

not best pleased

have a bone to pick

evil-intentioned

with all guns blazing

looking for trouble

down in the mouth

blue in the face

beside yourself with rage

apt to fly off the handle

unaccommodating

with a long face

got up on wrong side of bed

huffy irascible

having a chip on one's shoulder

itching to fight

ready for a fight

easily frightened

easily agitated

overcome with anger

at end of one's rope

hot and bothered

beside yourself

at boiling point

rubbed the wrong way

in a filthy temper

unsportsmanlike

dishonourable^UK

dishonorable^US

having a fit of the sulks

passive-aggressive

more ❯

“Paul changed from a fairly amiable happy person to a tense and grumpy man.”

Adjective

Marked by a likelihood to threaten the safety of a person or persons

Adjective

Potentially violent or dangerous, especially of a situation

life-threatening

more ❯

Adjective

Striking in appearance or effect

out of the ordinary

out of this world

invigorating^US

envigorating^UK

attention-grabbing

out-of-this-world

state-of-the-art

like a dream come true

hard to swallow

never to be forgotten

highly impressive

adrenaline-charged

edge-of-the-seat

monopolizing^US

monopolising^UK

pretty as a picture

easy on the eye

thought-provoking

one for the book

something to write home about

highly regarded

well thought of

of high standing

fit for a queen

much-publicized

bigger than life

lavishly appointed

in the lap of luxury

in the public eye

having made a name for oneself

tall in the saddle

fit for a prince

disproportionate

fit for a princess

recognizable^US

much publicized

in the limelight

larger than life

recognisable^UK

well-proportioned

of the first rank

tall and dignified

of great consequence

self-respecting

larger-than-life

supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

too good to be true

highest-ranking

held in high esteem

worthy of mention

well-thought-of

pleasure-loving

conferring prestige

more ❯

Adjective

Having or producing a sudden sense of thrilling excitement

envigorating^UK

invigorating^US

thought-provoking

emotion-charged

attention-grabbing

out of the ordinary

edge-of-the-seat

adrenaline-charged

revitalizing^US

out of this world

revitalising^UK

causing excitement

adrenaline-fueled

giving one food for thought

very interesting

monopolizing^US

monopolising^UK

like a dream come true

better than expected

character-building

totally absorbing

highly impressive

full of character

engaging attention

brightly colored^US

bright-coloured

brightly coloured^UK

like an explosion in a paint factory

looking like an explosion in a paint factory

more ❯

Adjective

Not easily bent or changed in shape

stiff as a board

Adjective

Looking tense, tired or stressed, typically from cold or hunger

worn to a frazzle

on your last legs

the worse for wear

with sunken cheeks

out on one's feet

asleep on one's feet

puffing and blowing

dead on one's feet

running on empty

gasping for breath

under the weather

extremely tired

like death warmed up

out of condition

lacking in energy

not up to snuff

not feeling up to snuff

rendered feeble

out of commission

more ❯

Adjective

Discordant, conflicting or bitter

Adjective

Having (been) worked to the point of fatigue, exhaustion, or great stress

Adjective

Full of knots, knotty

more ❯

Verb

To draw or make tight or taut

more ❯

“Lie on your side on the mat, support yourself on your elbow, and tense your body so that an imaginary straight line runs between your head and legs.”

Verb

To reduce in size, especially through the application of pressure

become narrower

decrease in size

put in a nutshell

get to the meat

give main points

make cutbacks in

come to a point

more ❯

Verb

To cause mental or emotional strain or tension in

push to the limit

cause to feel emotional strain

cause to feel mental strain

put in traction

Verb

To ready oneself for a challenging experience

batten down the hatches

prepare for battle

gird your loins

get into position

gear oneself up

give advance warning

give advance notice

give a boost to

raise your spirits

stiffen the resolve of

give shot in arm

give a shot in the arm to

fire with enthusiasm

fire the imagination of

stimulate spiritually

lift the spirits of

give confidence to

raise the morale of

light a fire under

give strength to

give new energy to

let the sun shine in

put on top of the world

put on cloud nine

be responsible for

give one an idea

give confidence

lift the morale of

more ❯

Verb

To (excessively) exert for a particular task, purpose or goal

exert excessively

exert to the limit

knock oneself out

make too many demands on

push to the limit

run yourself into the ground

work oneself into the ground

bite off more than you can chew

put too much in

drive into the ground

impose excessive strain on

wear oneself to a shadow

overload oneself

work like a Trojan

work day and night

drive oneself into the ground

drive oneself too hard

work one's tail off

push oneself too hard

wear yourself out

overtax one's strength

overburden oneself

strain yourself

burn the candle at both ends

overtire yourself

work like a slave

work your fingers to the bone

overtax oneself

work like a horse

burn the midnight oil

tire yourself out

overstrain yourself

drive oneself too far

practice presenteeism

more ❯

Noun

Grammatical form indicating actions or states that will happen or exist after the present moment

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Translations for tense
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