tension in Arabic: توتر (tawattur) – meaning, pronunciation, examples

Other meanings

شَدّ shadd — tension

How to use it

'Tawattur' (توتر) is the most common word for 'tension' in the sense of unease, strain, or conflict, whether between people, groups, or in a situation. 'Shadd' (شد) refers more to physical tension or stress, like the tension in a rope or muscle.

Example sentences

كانت هناك توترات بين البلدين.

kānat hunāka tawaturāt bayna al-baladayn.

There were tensions between the two countries.
يشعر بالتوتر قبل الامتحان.

yashʿuru bi-t-tawatur qabla al-imtiḥān.

He feels tension before the exam.
يجب تقليل الشد على الحبل.

yajibu taqlīl ash-shadd ʿalā al-ḥabl.

The tension on the rope must be reduced.

Examples from real texts

Sentences taken from published bilingual texts (subtitles, documents). They show the word in context and are not reviewed one by one.

Tension.

توتّرٌ.

This tweet reflected the tension:

هذه التغريدة تعكس التوتر:

Tension is everywhere but the joy too.

التوتر في كل مكان ولكن الفرح أيضًا.

There's a lot of tension among the siblings.

بين الإخوة كثير من التوتر.

Here in Tbilisi, tension is understandably high.

وهنا في جورجيا كان تصاعد التوتر مفهوماً ومبرراً.

This led to tension between the group and Gilmore.

!، أدى هذا إلى توتر العلاقة مع Gilmore.

These economic hardships are deepened by social tension.

وتؤدي التوترات الاجتماعية إلى تفاقم هذه المصاعب الاقتصادية.

The result, invariably, will be heightened Sino-US tension.

ومن المحتم أن يؤدي هذا إلى تصعيد التوترات بين الصين والولايات المتحدة.

Political tension reached a new height with that resignation.

12 - وبلغ التوتر السياسي درجة عالية جديدة مع تلك الاستقالة.

Of course, tension is probably unavoidable as these links develop.

بطبيعة الحال، قد لا يكون من الممكن تجنب التوترات مع تطوير هذه الروابط.

In such circumstances, liberal democracy and security are in tension.

في مثل هذه الظروف تنشأ توترات قوية بين الديمقراطية والأمن.

Well psychology actually says there is a tension -- a tension between self-regarding behaviors and other regarding behaviors.

حسناً إن الطب النفسى يقول هناك توتر ما، توتر بين السلوك التعبيرى لإحترام النفس والسلوك فى الإهتمامات الأخرى.

Questions and answers

What's the difference between 'tawattur' and 'shadd'?

'Tawattur' is usually psychological or social tension, like nervousness or conflict. 'Shadd' is physical tension, like the force pulling something tight.

Can 'tawattur' be used for physical things?

Less commonly. While it can sometimes imply a strained state, 'shadd' is the preferred term for physical tension in objects or materials.