Synonyms of tensed

tensed

verb

past tense of tense

as in tightened

to draw tight

he tensed his muscles and attempted to lift the heavy appliance onto the truck

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tightened
• stretched
• tautened
• strained
• lengthened
• elongated
• constricted
• extended
• cinched

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• loosened
• relaxed
• slackened
• eased
• slacked

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tensed

The women tensed when the deputy warden of the Rostov jail, a curt, imperious man with a heavy-footed gait, walked in. — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

As that handover proceeds, the excitatory signal that keeps your muscles faintly tensed all day begins to withdraw, and muscle tone drops toward the near-paralysis of deep sleep. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Be a good child, do what they’re told, be the best child, a tremble in their hands, say nothing, tensed for the knock on the door. — Literary Hub, 17 June 2026

Instead, he was intrigued by a scene in which Back visibly tensed up after the producers told him he was suspected of being Satoshi. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 9 Apr. 2026

The slope down to the sidewalk was barely an inch high, but everyone tensed. — IEEE Spectrum, 1 Apr. 2026

Everyone in the barber shop flinched at the sound and tensed their shoulders. — Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026

Studios in collaboration with Banijay’s DLO Producciones, tracks the rise of the founding leader of Los Miami, a gang which controlled Madrid’s insatiable ‘90s drug business, tensed by sudden explosive violence, and the drug-lord’s multiple near-death experiences. — John Hopewell, Variety, 18 Dec. 2025

The officer took her to the ground and then tried cuffing Tejeras, who tensed up so much, the officer’s body camera was knocked to the ground, according to the report. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 26 Nov. 2025