tense situation

Meanings

1. 1phrasecountable

   A situation in which people feel nervous, worried, or ready to argue or fight.

   Grammar: A countable phrase: you can say 'a tense situation' or 'tense situations'.

   Patterns

   • a tense situation between people
   • in a tense situation
   • defuse a tense situation

   There was a tense situation at the meeting when two managers started shouting.

   Police were called to calm a tense situation outside the stadium.

   After the argument, the whole family sat in a tense situation until someone changed the subject.

2. 2phrasecountable

   A moment of danger or uncertainty in which something bad could happen at any time.

   Grammar: Often used with verbs like 'become' or 'remain': the situation became tense.

   Patterns

   • become a tense situation
   • remain a tense situation

   The rescue became a tense situation when the rope began to slip.

   It remained a tense situation for hours as the two sides refused to talk.

Word forms

Common combinations

a tense situation develops

A tense situation developed after the referee's decision.

ease a tense situation

A joke can sometimes ease a tense situation.

a highly tense situation

It was a highly tense situation for everyone involved.

a tense situation at work

She learned how to handle a tense situation at work.

Synonyms and how they differ

stressful situation

Focuses on the pressure you feel rather than the risk of conflict.

charged atmosphere

Describes the mood of a place more than the event itself.

standoff

A more specific, often news-style word for a tense situation where neither side moves.

Opposites

Word family

tension noun

The nervous or worried feeling in a tense situation.

tensely adverb

In a nervous or strained way.

tenseness noun

The quality of being tense.

Commonly confused: tense situation or intense situation?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “tense situation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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