tenuous
4
8.0
- adjective
- /ˈtɛnjʊəs/
:
frágil
- Before them, a tenuous rope bridge leads to a vast rock landing.
- a tenuous ribbon of gas
- very tenuous
But the heat content is not very high because Corona, it's very tenuous, very few particles.
- But the heat content is not very high because Corona, it's very tenuous, very few particles.
- My experience is that indoor snow will come tenuous for the obvious reasons.
Examples
-
The Magellanic Clouds, for example, are connected to the Milky Way by a tenuous ribbon of gas, the Magellanic Stream.
Academic text (1995) -
The tightrope walker took a deep breath, aware that his hold on the rope was tenuous at best.
-
In its place was a tenuous smile.
Fiction book (2001) -
US military and international actors may be keeping a tenuous peace.
Academic text (2004) -
With increasing numbers of children living with only their mothers, many children have tenuous or nonexistent relationships with their fathers.
Blog text (6) -
The Antarctic continues to be a deeply dangerous place where human beings can only establish a tenuous and temporary footing.
Academic text (2008) -
The artist's tenuous sketch captured the essence of the scene, but it lacked the details of a finished painting.
-
The climbers faced a tenuous situation as they carefully navigated the narrow ledge high above the valley.
Synonyms
188
3.8
Easily broken and needing gentle care
56
3.4
Very small and weak, not impressive
52
4.1
Being physically weak and breaking easily
39
3.9
Based on weak support and likely to fail
25
3.8
Thin and not strong so it breaks or tears easily
9
6.8
Not solid or strong and not filling
8
3.9
Very thin and easily damaged, like a sheet of paper
7
3.8
Thin and light in form, like a small person or light cloth
Very thin and delicate in form, like a fine thread
A little weak in taste, sound, or argument
Likely to wobble or break, like a weak chair
Antonyms
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
tenuous = tenu + ous
The form 'tenu-' is a Latin combining form rather than a standalone English base, so learners cannot transparently derive the meaning from familiar English components despite the productive suffix '-ous'.
Etymology
Tenuous comes from the Latin word tenuis 'thin'. Think of a very thin mist or a fragile thread, which helps explain why tenuous describes something physically thin or weak.