slightly taut; a bit pulled tight; with slack taken up
Describes a state where something is pulled a little tight, or slack has been removed, often used for ropes, strings, or fabric. The 気味 suffix adds a nuance of 'slightly' or 'tending to be'.
This rope is a bit taut, so let's loosen it a little more.
The fabric is slightly pulled tight, making it hard to sew.
The base verb meaning 'to pull'. 引っ張り気味 is a noun describing the resulting state of being slightly pulled.
A suffix meaning 'slightly' or 'tending to'. Attached to the continuative form of verbs or nouns to indicate a slight tendency.
Compound of 引っ張り (continuative form of 引っ張る, 'to pull') + 気味 ('slightly', 'tending to').