Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun tense

1 sense of tense

Sense 1
tense -- (a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time)
       => grammatical category, syntactic category -- ((grammar) a category of words having the same grammatical properties)

Antonyms of verb tense

2 of 4 senses of tense

Sense 3
tense, tense up -- (become tense, nervous, or uneasy; "He tensed up when he saw his opponent enter the room")
       Antonym of relax (Sense 1)
      => relax, loosen up, unbend, unwind, decompress, slow down -- (become less tense, rest, or take one's ease; "He relaxed in the hot tub"; "Let's all relax after a hard day's work")

Sense 4
tense, strain, tense up -- (cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious; "he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up")
       Antonym of relax (Sense 4)
      => relax, unstrain, unlax, loosen up, unwind, make relaxed -- (cause to feel relaxed; "A hot bath always relaxes me")

Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb tense

4 senses of tense

Sense 1
strain, tense -- (become stretched or tense or taut; "the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed;" "the rope strained when the weight was attached")
       => tighten -- (become tight or tighter; "The rope tightened")

Sense 2
tense -- (increase the tension on; "alternately relax and tense your calf muscle"; "tense the rope manually before tensing the spring")
       => change, alter, modify -- (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue")

Sense 3
tense, tense up -- (become tense, nervous, or uneasy; "He tensed up when he saw his opponent enter the room")
       => change state, turn -- (undergo a transformation or a change of position or action; "We turned from Socialism to Capitalism"; "The people turned against the President when he stole the election")

Sense 4
tense, strain, tense up -- (cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious; "he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up")
       => affect -- (act physically on; have an effect upon; "the medicine affects my heart rate")

Antonyms of adj tense

3 senses of tense

Sense 1
tense (vs. relaxed) -- (in or of a state of physical or nervous tension)

relaxed (vs. tense) -- (without strain or anxiety; "gave the impression of being quite relaxed"; "a relaxed and informal discussion")
        => degage -- (free and relaxed in manner; "rather degage after the nervousness he had shown at dinner"- Edmund Wilson)
        => laid-back, mellow -- (unhurried and relaxed; "a mellow conversation")
        => unstrained -- (not placed under psychological stress; "the campaign would not leave party loyalties unstrained")

Sense 2
tense (vs. lax) -- (pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in `beat'))

lax (vs. tense) -- (pronounced with muscles of the tongue and jaw relatively relaxed (e.g., the vowel sound in `bet'))

Sense 3
tense (vs. lax) -- (taut or rigid; stretched tight; "tense piano strings")

lax (vs. tense) -- (lacking in strength or firmness or resilience; "a lax rope"; "a limp handshake")
        => drooping, droopy, sagging -- (hanging down (as from exhaustion or weakness))
        => limp -- (lacking in strength or firmness or resilience; "gave a limp handshake"; "a limp gesture as if waving away all desire to know" G.K.Chesterton; "a slack grip")
        => floppy -- (hanging limply; "a spaniel with floppy ears")
        => loose, slack -- (not tense or taut; "the old man's skin hung loose and grey"; "slack and wrinkled skin"; "slack sails"; "a slack rope")
        => loose-jointed -- (loosely articulated or constructed; "a loose-jointed paragraph")
        => tensionless -- (free from tension)

Similarity of adj tense

3 senses of tense

Sense 1
tense (vs. relaxed) -- (in or of a state of physical or nervous tension)
       => aroused, wound up -- (brought to a state of great tension; "all wound up for a fight")
       => cliff-hanging, suspenseful, suspensive, nail-biting -- ((of a situation) characterized by or causing suspense)
       => taut -- (subjected to great tension; stretched tight; "the skin of his face looked drawn and tight"; "her nerves were taut as the strings of a bow")
       => antsy, fidgety, fretful, itchy -- (nervous and unable to relax; "a constant fretful stamping of hooves"; "a restless child")
       => edgy, high-strung, highly strung, jittery, jumpy, nervy, overstrung, restive, uptight -- (being in a tense state)
       => electric -- ((of a situation) exceptionally tense; "an atmosphere electric with suspicion")
       => isotonic -- (of two or more muscles; having equal tension)
       => nervous -- (easily agitated; "a nervous addict"; "a nervous thoroughbred")
       => strained -- (showing signs of mental and emotional tension; "her voice was strained as she asked the question")
       => unrelaxed -- (nor relaxed; "his life was drawing to a close in baffled zeal and unrelaxed strain"- U.B.Phillips)
       => pumped-up (prenominal), pumped up (predicate), pumped (predicate), wired -- (tense with excitement and enthusiasm as from a rush of adrenaline; "we were really pumped up for the race"; "he was so pumped he couldn't sleep")
          Also See-> agitated#1; uneasy#1

Sense 2
tense (vs. lax) -- (pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in `beat'))
       => constricted -- (especially tense; especially in some dialects)

Sense 3
tense (vs. lax) -- (taut or rigid; stretched tight; "tense piano strings")
       => overstrung -- (too tightly strung; "an overstrung archery bow")
       => taut, tight -- (pulled or drawn tight; "taut sails"; "a tight drumhead"; "a tight rope")
          Also See-> tight#1