taut
1 of 3adjective
ˈtȯt 
1
a
: having no give or slack : tightly drawn
a taut rope
b
: high-strung, tense
taut nerves
2
a
: kept in proper order or condition
a taut ship
b(1)
: not loose or flabby
taut skin
(2)
: marked by economy of structure and detail
a taut story
tautly adverb
tautness noun
taut
2 of 3verb
tauted; tauting; tauts
transitive verb
Scotland
: mat, tangle
taut-
3 of 3combining form
variants or tauto-
: same
tautomerism
tautonym
Synonyms
Adjective
- rigid
- tense
- tight
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective The rope was drawn taut. The book is a taut thriller.
Recent Examples on the Web
Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2022 The sculpture’s distinctive form — at once soft and hard, taut and floppy — calls to mind a Phrygian cap. Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2021 The whole truck feels more taut and better in control of its mass, both sprung and unsprung. Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 12 Oct. 2021 Pull it taut with one hand and use the razor with the other. Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Aug. 2022 The lessons—whether pressure-testing ideas or asking better questions—are taut and memorable, and demand that readers reconsider their priors. Bo Seo, The Atlantic, 1 June 2022 Director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic and her co-writer, Frank Graziano, have constructed a taut story bristling with unease, and one that looks head-on at conflict. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 July 2022 These pretty, super-soft ties are strong enough to keep your look taut, but won't tug or leave a kink in your hair when removed. Lindy Segal, Harper's BAZAAR, 14 July 2022 Rather, their intervention is at its most emphatic, and most conspicuous, in the editing of the large body of interview footage (between fifty and sixty hours’ worth, according to Ophuls) into a taut, coherent narrative. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 July 2022 See More
Adjective
The ham is taut and chewy and pleasantly stringy in places. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2022 The sculpture’s distinctive form — at once soft and hard, taut and floppy — calls to mind a Phrygian cap. Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2021 The whole truck feels more taut and better in control of its mass, both sprung and unsprung. Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 12 Oct. 2021 Pull it taut with one hand and use the razor with the other. Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Aug. 2022 The lessons—whether pressure-testing ideas or asking better questions—are taut and memorable, and demand that readers reconsider their priors. Bo Seo, The Atlantic, 1 June 2022 Director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic and her co-writer, Frank Graziano, have constructed a taut story bristling with unease, and one that looks head-on at conflict. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 July 2022 These pretty, super-soft ties are strong enough to keep your look taut, but won't tug or leave a kink in your hair when removed. Lindy Segal, Harper's BAZAAR, 14 July 2022 Rather, their intervention is at its most emphatic, and most conspicuous, in the editing of the large body of interview footage (between fifty and sixty hours’ worth, according to Ophuls) into a taut, coherent narrative. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English tought, perhaps from tought, toughth fierce, tough, alteration of tough tough
Verb
origin unknown
Combining form
Late Latin, from Greek, from tauto the same, contraction of to auto
First Known Use
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a(1)
Verb
1721, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
taut
adjective
ˈtȯt
tauter; tautest
1
: tightly stretched
The rope was pulled taut.
2
: very tense
Will waited, suddenly taut with excitement. Susan Cooper, The Dark Is Rising
Susan Cooper, The Dark Is Rising3
: firm and not flabby
taut muscles
taut
adjective
as in tight
stretched with little or no give a taut clothesline Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- tight
- tightened
- tense
- rigid
- stiff
- unyielding
- unrelaxed
- firm
- inflexible
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- loose
- slack
- lax
- flaccid
- elastic
- hanging
- sagging
- relaxed
- limp
- floppy
- supple
- loosened
- flexible
- lank
- pliant
- resilient
- yielding
- droopy
- springy
- slackened
- stretchy
- drooping