undercurrent of tension
- noun
:
corriente subyacente de tensión
- Throughout the negotiations, there was an undercurrent of tension that made everyone uneasy.
Examples
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The family's holiday dinner was marred by an undercurrent of tension after the recent argument.
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Despite the friendly conversation, an undercurrent of tension was obvious between the two rivals.
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There was an undercurrent of tension in the room during the meeting.
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Despite the smiles, an undercurrent of tension lingered between them.
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Despite their smiles, there was an unmistakable undercurrent of tension in the room as they discussed the layoffs.
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The lively party atmosphere was marred by an undercurrent of tension as arguments began to break out among the guests.
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Even though everyone was laughing, I could sense an undercurrent of tension lingering beneath the surface of their conversations.
Synonyms
509
3.2
A feeling of nervousness and anger between people or inside a person
48
3.3
A state of worry or nervousness caused by difficult situations
19
4.4
A feeling of worry and not being relaxed
17
6.9
A hidden feeling beneath what someone shows or says
1
4.9
A feeling of nervous worry and stress
Antonyms
How Tense
Surface Forms
Morphology
undercurrent + of + tension
The phrase combines 'undercurrent' (a concealed or subdued tendency) with 'tension' (anxiety/strain) in a straightforward noun-of-noun composition, so the overall meaning 'a hidden/underlying feeling of stress' is directly derivable from the parts. This metaphorical but regular construction is cross-linguistically common and follows standard composition patterns, making it readily comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
The phrase undercurrent of tension comes from the image of a strong water current running under a calm surface that you cannot see but that can pull things above. So an undercurrent, a 'hidden' force, of tension means a quiet feeling of stress or 'unease' that affects people even if they do not show it.