tension (n.)

  1. (psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense; he suffered from fatigue and emotional tension; stress is a vasoconstrictor

    [ Syn: tenseness , stress ]

  2. the physical condition of being stretched or strained; it places great tension on the leg muscles; he could feel the tenseness of her body

    [ Syn: tensity , tenseness , tautness ]

  3. 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; there is a tension between these approaches to understanding history'

  4. (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'

  5. feelings of hostility that are not manifest; he could sense her latent hostility to him; the diplomats first concern was to reduce international tensions

    [ Syn: latent hostility ]

  6. the action of stretching something tight; tension holds the belt in the pulleys'

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2011 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.