Taught to be utterly tense (4)
I believe the answer is:
taut
'tense' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)
'taught to be utterly' is the wordplay.
'to be utterly' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue (as uttered).
'taught' sounds like 'TAUT'.
(Other definitions for taut that I've seen before include "Stretched tight or disciplined" , "Held in tension" , "On the slope" , "Pulled or drawn tight" , "Tense, stretched tight" .)