noun
1 inability to relax
ADJECTIVE
▪ inner
▪ emotional , nervous , sexual
▪
He suffers from nervous ~.
▪ muscle , muscular
▪ premenstrual
VERB + TENSION
▪ feel , suffer from
▪
I feel some ~ in my shoulders.
▪ sense
▪
As soon as he entered, he sensed a ~ in the air.
▪ cause , create
▪ relieve
▪ release
TENSION + NOUN
▪ headache
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ in
▪
The hot bath eased the ~ in his body.
PHRASES
▪ a release of ~
▪
Laughter can be a great release of ~.
▪ a sign of ~
▪
Horses are very sensitive to signs of ~ in humans.
2 bad feeling between people, countries, etc.
ADJECTIVE
▪ considerable , great , high
▪
More police have been sent to areas of high political ~.
▪ palpable , real
▪ slight
▪ escalating , growing , heightened , increased , increasing , mounting , rising
▪ constant , continuous
▪ continuing , ongoing
▪ unresolved
▪ renewed
▪ fundamental , inherent , underlying
▪ ethnic , political , racial , religious , social
▪ communal , family , internal , international , national , regional
▪ creative , dynamic
▪
the creative ~ between democracy and business interests
VERB + TENSION
▪ cause , create , generate
▪ defuse , ease , reduce , release , resolve
▪
She often used humour/humor to defuse ~ in meetings.
▪ exacerbate , heighten
TENSION + VERB
▪ build up , grow , increase , mount , rise
▪ ease
▪ arise
▪
In the early 1960's, new ~s arose between the United States and the USSR.
▪ exist
▪ run high
▪
Racial ~s in the town were running high.
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ among
▪
The ~ among the audience was palpable.
▪ ~ between
▪
~ between local youths and the police
▪ ~ in , ~ within
▪
The job losses caused greater ~s within the company.
▪ ~ over
▪
There has been increased ~ over the border incident.
▪ ~ with
▪
renewed ~ with France
PHRASES
▪ a source of ~
▪
Money was always a source of ~ between her parents.
3 of rope, wire, etc.
ADJECTIVE
▪ string
VERB + TENSION
▪ adjust
▪
This old racket needs its string ~ adjusted.
▪ release
PREPOSITION
▪ in ~
▪
The metal is weak in ~.
▪ under ~
▪
Stay clear of cables which are under ~.
▪ ~ on
▪
The sudden ~ on the line told me I had hooked a fish.
4 feeling of excitement in a film/movie, etc.
ADJECTIVE
▪ dramatic
▪
The movie lacks dramatic ~.
VERB + TENSION
▪ build , heighten , increase
▪
the use of editing to heighten the ~
▪ keep , keep up , maintain
▪ break
TENSION + VERB
▪ build , grow , mount
▪
Tension builds around the mystery of what will happen to Freddie.