| noun | (psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense “he suffered from fatigue and emotional tension” |
| noun | the physical condition of being stretched or strained “it places great tension on the leg muscles” |
| noun | a balance between and interplay of opposing elements or tendencies (especially in art or literature) “there is a tension created between narrative time and movie time” |
| noun | (physics) a stress that produces an elongation of an elastic physical body “the direction of maximum tension moves asymptotically toward the direction of the shear” |
| noun | feelings of hostility that are not manifest “he could sense her latent hostility to him” |
| noun | the action of stretching something tight “tension holds the belt in the pulleys” |
| tense | adjective | in or of a state of physical or nervous tension |
| stress | verb | test the limits of |
| tense | verb | become tense, nervous, or uneasy |
| taut | adjective | subjected to great tension; stretched tight |
| tensional | adjective | of or relating to or produced by tension |