What is the meaning of tension?

noun

  • Psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense. (
    • usage: "he suffered from fatigue and emotional tension"; "stress is a vasoconstrictor"
  • The physical condition of being stretched or strained.
    • usage: "it places great tension on the leg muscles"; "he could feel the tenseness of her body"
  • A balance between and interplay of opposing elements or tendencies (especially in art or literature. )
    • usage: "there is a tension created between narrative time and movie time"; "there is a tension between these approaches to understanding history"
  • Physics) a stress that produces an elongation of an elastic physical body. (
    • usage: "the direction of maximum tension moves asymptotically toward the direction of the shear"
  • Feelings of hostility that are not manifest.
    • usage: "he could sense her latent hostility to him"; "the diplomats' first concern was to reduce international tensions"
  • The action of stretching something tight.
    • usage: "tension holds the belt in the pulleys"
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APAWordNet. (2010). tension. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/tension/definitions/1190186
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "tension" http://smartdefine.org/tension/definitions/1190186 (accessed September 20, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, tension, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/tension/definitions/1190186>.
MLAWordNet. "tension" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/tension/definitions/1190186>
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