tense

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tense1 / tens/ • adj. (esp. of a muscle or someone's body) stretched tight or rigid: she tried to relax her tense muscles. ∎  (of a person) unable to relax because of nervousness, anxiety, or stimulation: he was tense with excitement. ∎  (of a situation, event, etc.) causing or showing anxiety and nervousness: relations between the two neighboring states had been tense in recent years. ∎  Phonet. (of a speech sound, esp. a vowel) pronounced with the vocal muscles stretched tight.The opposite of lax.• v. [intr.] become tense, typically through anxiety or nervousness: her body tensed up. ∎  [tr.] make (a muscle or one's body) tight or rigid: carefully stretch and then tense your muscles.DERIVATIVES: tense·ly adv.tense·ness n.ten·si·ty / ˈtensitē/ n. ( dated ).tense2 • n. Gram. a set of forms taken by a verb to indicate the time (and sometimes also the continuance or completeness) of the action in relation to the time of the utterance: the past tense.DERIVATIVES: tense·less adj.

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