Definitions for tenseness
tense·ness

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.0 / 2 votes

1. tension, tensity, tenseness, tautnessnoun

   the physical condition of being stretched or strained

   "it places great tension on the leg muscles"; "he could feel the tenseness of her body"

2. tension, tenseness, stressnoun

   (psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense

   "he suffered from fatigue and emotional tension"; "stress is a vasoconstrictor"

WiktionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. tensenessnoun

   The characteristic of being tense.

2. tensenessnoun

   A particular vowel or consonant quality that is phonemically contrastive in many languages, including English.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Tensenessnoun

   Contraction; tension: the contrary to laxity.

   Etymology: from tense.

   Should the pain and tenseness of the part continue, the operation must take place. Samuel Sharp, Surgery.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Tenseness

   In phonology, tenseness or tensing is, most broadly, the pronunciation of a sound with greater muscular effort or constriction than is typical. More specifically, tenseness is the pronunciation of a vowel with less centralization (i.e. either more fronting or more backing), longer duration, and narrower mouth width (with the tongue being perhaps more raised) compared with another vowel. The opposite quality to tenseness is known as laxness or laxing: the pronunciation of a vowel with relatively more centralization, shorter duration, and more widening (perhaps even lowering). Contrasts between two vowels on the basis of tenseness, and even phonemic contrasts, are common in many languages, including English. For example, in most English dialects, beet and bit are contrasted by the vowel sound being tense in the first word but not the second; i.e., (as in beet) is the tense counterpart to the lax (as in bit); the same is true of (as in kook) versus (as in cook). Unlike most distinctive features, the feature [tense] can be interpreted only relatively, often with a perception of greater tension or pressure in the mouth, which, in a language like English, contrasts between two corresponding vowel types: a tense vowel and a lax vowel. An example in Vietnamese is the letters ă and â representing lax vowels, and the letters a and ơ representing the corresponding tense vowels. Some languages like Spanish are often considered as having only tense vowels, but since the quality of tenseness is not a phonemic feature in this language, it cannot be applied to describe its vowels in any meaningful way. The term has also occasionally been used to describe contrasts in consonants.

FreebaseRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Tenseness

   In phonology, tenseness is a particular vowel quality that is phonemically contrastive in many languages, including English. It has also occasionally been used to describe contrasts in consonants. Unlike most distinctive features, the feature [tense] can be interpreted only relatively, that is, in a language like English that contrasts and, the former can be described as a tense vowel while the latter is a lax vowel. Another example is Vietnamese, where the letters ă and â represent lax vowels, and the letters a and ơ the corresponding tense vowels. Some languages like Spanish are often considered as having only tense vowels, but since the quality of tenseness is not a phonemic feature in this language, it cannot be applied to describe its vowels in any meaningful way.

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1. • Condition

How to pronounce tenseness?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say tenseness in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of tenseness in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of tenseness in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

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