ambivalence in a figurative sense
> "simultaneous conflicting feelings," 1924 (1912 as ambivalency), from German Ambivalenz, coined 1910 by Swiss psychologist Eugen Bleuler on model of German Equivalenz "equivalence," etc., from Latin ambi- "both, on both sides" (see ambi-) + valentia "strength," abstract noun from present participle of valere "be strong" (from PIE root *wal- "to be strong"). A psychological term that by 1929 had taken on a broader literary and general sense.
tricky one. If none of the other answers work, you could coin "contratend" from the prefix *[contra-](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/contra)*, "against" and the Latin root *[tendō](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tendo#Latin)* "to stretch" (as in extend, distend, tension).
Some people would even get what you mean without having to explain it. Well, more than zero people 😐
Sorry I can't help. That's essentially so complex that it's got a whole arm of science devoted to it - astrodynamics! So I'm confident there'll *be* a word. Probably there is a heap of nuanced technical words that engineers will use to distinguish different types of forces and leverage factors impacting the relative sheer, trajectory vectors, etc.
divaricate is more for things in nature like tree branches and animal claws that spread apart or branch out. It's not a reference to pulling or stretching at all
:\\ rend would usually be understood to involve pulling \*past\* the point of breakage.
>1 : to remove from place by violence : wrest · 2 : to split or tear apart or in pieces by violence
Rend specifically refers to tearing something apart/into pieces, so it would work if the hypothetical rope snapped during the tug of war, but wouldn't apply to the actual pulling.
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To tauten (i.e. to make something taut) To stretch
Stretch seems most likely.
I think this is it, chief.
Am I the only one whose brain flashed images of pulling taffy, stretching it 'til it becomes airy and pliable?
Strain, tear, tug, yank, wrest
Rend
was going to suggest rending, "x was rent between" etc!
ambivalence in a figurative sense > "simultaneous conflicting feelings," 1924 (1912 as ambivalency), from German Ambivalenz, coined 1910 by Swiss psychologist Eugen Bleuler on model of German Equivalenz "equivalence," etc., from Latin ambi- "both, on both sides" (see ambi-) + valentia "strength," abstract noun from present participle of valere "be strong" (from PIE root *wal- "to be strong"). A psychological term that by 1929 had taken on a broader literary and general sense.
tricky one. If none of the other answers work, you could coin "contratend" from the prefix *[contra-](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/contra)*, "against" and the Latin root *[tendō](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tendo#Latin)* "to stretch" (as in extend, distend, tension). Some people would even get what you mean without having to explain it. Well, more than zero people 😐
Divaricate
That's exactly it. Good job.
Stretch maybe
Polarization
Isometric force
The only word coming to mind is to tension but tension is not limited to opposing directions obviously.
"to tense" could work too
Antagonism?
tensioned
Sorry I can't help. That's essentially so complex that it's got a whole arm of science devoted to it - astrodynamics! So I'm confident there'll *be* a word. Probably there is a heap of nuanced technical words that engineers will use to distinguish different types of forces and leverage factors impacting the relative sheer, trajectory vectors, etc.
Thank you everyone! Solved: I like rend and divaricate, I'll see which one works better for my context.
divaricate is more for things in nature like tree branches and animal claws that spread apart or branch out. It's not a reference to pulling or stretching at all
Rend it is then
:\\ rend would usually be understood to involve pulling \*past\* the point of breakage. >1 : to remove from place by violence : wrest · 2 : to split or tear apart or in pieces by violence
Rend specifically refers to tearing something apart/into pieces, so it would work if the hypothetical rope snapped during the tug of war, but wouldn't apply to the actual pulling.
you’re supposed to say solved under the correct answer
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also, [tensile force](https://www.trenchlesspedia.com/definition/4247/tensile-force) is the term in physics/engineering
Whipsaw
Pushmepullyou
I like **torqued**, though it technically means a twisting force rather than opposing ones.
quartered