WordWeb Online

1. (psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense
   "he suffered from fatigue and emotional tension";
   - tenseness, stress
    
2. The physical condition of being stretched or strained
   "it places great tension on the leg muscles";
   - tensity, tenseness, tautness
    
3. (literature) 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
   "the diplomats' first concern was to reduce international tensions";
   - latent hostility
    
6. The action of stretching something tight
   "tension holds the belt in the pulleys"

1. Put an object in tension; pull or place strain on

Derived forms: tensions, tensioned, tensioning

Type of: antagonism, balance, condition, enmity, hostility, mental strain, nervous strain, status, strain, stress, stretching

Encyclopedia: Tension