tension

inner

emotional, muscle/muscular, nervous, pre-menstrual, sexual

After the argument, she felt emotional tension throughout her body and couldn't sleep.

feel, suffer from

After the argument, she suffered from tension that made it hard to concentrate at work.

sense

The room fell silent when they walked in, and everyone could sense the tension between them.

cause, create

relieve

release

headache

~ in

After the argument, there was obvious tension in the room that made everyone uncomfortable.

a release of tension

After the difficult exam, the students felt a release of tension when they finally left the classroom.

a sign of tension

When the room fell silent, it was a clear sign of tension between the two friends.

considerable, great, high

The argument created considerable tension between the two friends for several weeks.

slight

growing, heightened, increased, increasing, mounting

constant

unresolved

renewed

ethnic, political, racial, religious, social

communal, family, internal, international, national, regional

cause, create, generate

defuse, ease, reduce

The mediator helped reduce tension between the two neighboring families.

heighten

build up, grow, increase, mount, rise

ease

be palpable

~ among

There has been growing tension among the team members since the new manager arrived.

~ between

There has been growing tension between the two neighboring countries over the disputed border.

~ in/within

There has been growing tension in their relationship since they started working together.

~ over

The two countries have had growing tension over trade agreements for months now.

~ with

There has been growing tension with our neighbors since the new fence was built last month.

a source of tension

Different opinions about household chores have been a source of tension in their relationship.

string

adjust

The guitar player had to adjust the tension in the strings before the concert.

release

in ~

The old rope finally snapped because it couldn't handle the strain in tension.

under ~

The rope holding the tent up snapped because it was under too much tension.

~ on

I felt the tension on the rope as the climber pulled harder from below.