ketegangan

Ketegangan is a noun in Indonesian that denotes a state of tension or strain. It can refer to physical pressure within a material, psychological pressure on a person, social or political friction between groups or nations, or dramatic suspense in storytelling. The term is formed with the prefix ke- added to tegangan, which denotes tension; ke- marks a state or condition.

In physics and engineering, tegangan refers to stress: internal forces per unit area within a material. Ketegangan describes the overall state of such stress, including normal (tending to elongate) and shear stresses, and may be described in terms of magnitude and direction.

In social and political discourse, ketegangan commonly indicates strained relations, such as ketegangan antara negara, antar kelompok, or ketegangan nasional. These tensions can arise from competing interests, disputes, historical grievances, or security concerns, and may be temporary or persistent.

In everyday language, ketegangan also refers to psychological tension or anxiety experienced by individuals, often due to workload, uncertainty, or interpersonal conflict. In literature, film, and theater, ketegangan denotes suspenseful intensity that sustains engagement.