| Library / English Dictionary |
TENSENESS
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
(psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense
Example:
stress is a vasoconstrictor
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("tenseness" is a kind of...):
mental strain; nervous strain; strain ((psychology) nervousness resulting from mental stress)
Domain category:
psychological science; psychology (the science of mental life)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "tenseness"):
yips (nervous tension that causes an athlete to fail (especially causes golfers to miss short putts))
breaking point ((psychology) stress at which a person breaks down or a situation becomes crucial)
Derivation:
tense (in or of a state of physical or nervous tension)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The physical condition of being stretched or strained
Example:
he could feel the tenseness of her body
Synonyms:
tautness; tenseness; tension; tensity
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("tenseness" is a kind of...):
condition; status (a state at a particular time)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "tenseness"):
tone; tonicity; tonus (the elastic tension of living muscles, arteries, etc. that facilitate response to stimuli)
Derivation:
tense (taut or rigid; stretched tight)
