What does "tensor" mean?
A muscle that tightens or stretches a part, or renders it tense.
Tensor
/ˈtɛn.sə/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A muscle that tightens or stretches a part, or renders it tense.
- Grammar: tensor is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: argument, biceps, dyad, element.
- Useful contrasts: scalar, scalar field, vector.
- Usage evidence: In a spacetime, the Riemann curvature tensor has 256 components, but fortunately they don't all have to be directly calculated thanks to some symmetries.
How to use "tensor"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tensor" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tensor" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tensor" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tensor" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tensor" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "argument" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tensor", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A muscle that tightens or stretches a part, or renders it tense.
- 2 any of several muscles that cause an attached structure to become tense or firm wordnet
- 3 A mathematical object that describes linear relations on scalars, vectors, matrices and other algebraic objects, and is represented as a multidimensional array.
"The tensor #92;alpha#95;#123;ij#125; should really be called a “tensor of second rank,” because it has two indexes. A vector—with one index—is a tensor of the first rank, and a scalar—with no index—is a tensor of zero rank."
- 4 a generalization of the concept of a vector wordnet
- 5 A mathematical object that describes linear relations on scalars, vectors, matrices and other algebraic objects, and is represented as a multidimensional array.; A multidimensional array with (at least) two dimensions.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A norm operation on the quaternion algebra. obsolete
Verb
- 1 To compute the tensor product of two tensors or algebraic structures.
Example
"In a spacetime, the Riemann curvature tensor has 256 components, but fortunately they don't all have to be directly calculated thanks to some symmetries."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tensor"?
Common synonyms include: argument, biceps, dyad, element, equation, formula.
How do you use "tensor" in a sentence?
In a spacetime, the Riemann curvature tensor has 256 components, but fortunately they don't all have to be directly calculated thanks to some symmetries.
How do you pronounce "tensor"?
Pronounced /ˈtɛn.sə/.
Etymology
Borrowed from New Latin tensor (“that which stretches”), equivalent to tense + -or. Anatomical sense from 1704. Introduced in the 1840s by William Rowan Hamilton as an algebraic quantity unrelated to the modern notion of tensor. The contemporary mathematical meaning was introduced (as German Tensor) by Woldemar Voigt (1898) and adopted in English from 1915 (in the context of general relativity), obscuring the earlier Hamiltonian sense. The mathematical object is so named because an early application of tensors was the study of materials stretching under tension. (See, for example, Cauchy stress tensor on Wikipedia.Wikipedia)