tauten
Pull until stiff
To tauten is to make or become taut—to pull tight or tense up.
A rope tautens under strain.
Muscles tauten before exertion.
She tautened the canvas before painting.
The word works both transitively (you tauten something) and intransitively (something tautens on its own).
Stretched or strained state
Not easily bent
- stiffenBecome less pliable
- tenseStrained or nervous
- firmSolid or resolute
- inflexibleUnable to bend
unbending · unyielding · inelastic · unpliable · hard · solid · rigid · resistant
Persistent apprehensive distress
- pressureForce upon contact
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- worryTroubled mental state
- uneaseMild persistent worry
apprehension · edginess · agitation · jitters · restlessness · angst · tense · strain
tension
Stretched or strained state
lacing · bind · clench · knot · tie · brace · clamp · gird · truss · constrict
stiff
Not easily bent
inflexible · unbending · unyielding · inelastic · unpliable · hard · solid · rigid · resistant · fixed
anxiety
Persistent apprehensive distress
- pressureForce upon contact
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- worryTroubled mental state
unease · apprehension · edginess · agitation · jitters · restlessness · angst · tense · strain · overwhelm
heighten
Increase in degree
strengthen · sharpen · accentuate · deepen · enhance · boost · reinforce · augment · magnify · redouble