taut

(tôt)

adj. taut·er, taut·est

a. Pulled or drawn tight; not slack. See Synonyms at tight.

b. Flexed or not loose: taut muscles.

c. Strained or tense: taut nerves.

a. Kept in good order; trim: a taut ship.

b. Marked by the efficient, sparing, or concise use of something, such as language or detail: a taut movie script.

[Middle English tohte, distended, perhaps ultimately from Old English togian, to drag; see tow¹.]

taut′ly adv.

taut′ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	tautness - the physical condition of being stretched or strained; "it places great tension on the leg muscles"; "he could feel the tenseness of her body" tenseness, tensity, tension condition, status - a state at a particular time; "a condition (or state) of disrepair"; "the current status of the arms negotiations" tonicity, tonus, tone - the elastic tension of living muscles, arteries, etc. that facilitate response to stimuli; "the doctor tested my tonicity"
	2.	tautness - lack of movement or room for movement tightness immovability, immovableness - not capable of being moved or rearranged

Translations

tautness

[ˈtɔːtnɪs] N

1. [of rope] → tensión f; [of skin] → tirantez f

2. [of face, expression] → tensión f

3. [of body, muscles] → firmeza f

4. [of writing] → lo compacto

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

tautness

n (of skin, rope) → Straffheit f; (of muscles) → Strammheit f; (fig, of atmosphere) → Gespanntheit f; (of nerves) → Anspannung f; (of style) → Knappheit f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Scarcely was this finished when the spanker smashed across overhead, the headsails thundered with a sudden filling, and the great mainsail, with all the scope in the boom-tackle caused by Van Horn's giving of the sheet, came across and fetched up to tautness on the tackle with a crash that shook the vessel and heeled her violently to port.

View in context

This is commonly referred to as the 20-20-20 rule and helps the eye muscles a change in tautness by focusing in the distance.

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Her doctor is said to have advised Katie to have the skin on her 'turkey neck' tightened, then stretched so it can be nipped and stitched into her hairline so it matches the tautness in her newly lifted face.

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Although the Rebels sit just two points above the relegation places, a win could take them to within seven points of the playoffs, showing the tautness of the league this season.

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On day 2 of examination, there was mild decrease in the tautness of skin.

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Allegorical and plausible, the tautness and tension of the writing are staggering."

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The tautness of the compulsions due to the changing ground realities of local politics in Punjab and KP did not allow Bilawal to make any tangible in-roads.

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It's easy to imagine the tautness of a paper lantern, the washboard surface of a bamboo wall, or the feel of a gauzy mesh mosquito net.

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With its glassy pink tautness and oceanic aroma, the appetizer put the gloppy mashed potatoes and dry turkey that followed to shame.

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These practices constitute a flagrant challenge to the international community and a blatant breach of the resolutions of the United Nations and international covenants, and are being committed in total ignorance of the painful human sufferings inflicted on the Palestinian people and threats posed to international peace and security This will ultimately lead to more tension and insecurity in the Middle East as any attempt to impose a Fait Accompli by force would only lead to more tautness and violence.

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The general impression of tautness and strength is coupled with good body control and composure, even over poor surfaces.

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