tenuous
30
7.6
- adjective
- /ˈtɛnjʊəs/
:
débil
- She presented a tenuous argument that lacked substantial evidence to support her claims.
- tenuous relationship
- tenuous position
- tenuous distinction
And it was really a, a tenuous job for my editor.
- And it was really a, a tenuous job for my editor.
- It can all feel very tenuous when you're friends with a narcissist.
- So my entire belief system was very tenuous.
- And this really is a reminder, I think, of just how tenuous humanities grasp on existence is.
- Am I falling into conspiracy or are we really at a tenuous moment?
- I think that public support for the right to say unpopular things has always been tenuous.
- And that is the fear that bullied children live with, that your fate is tenuous within that bullying family system.
- It's amazing and terrifying as somebody with a tenuous relationship with with kind of the fame that you have.
- Imagine that something that earns money, but it it is a, it's a tenuous process, process to get from that A to movie.
- So in my mind, if I made it my profession, it would change the character of what I was doing it, which is already a very tenuous relationship.
- The idea that we're increasingly living in a simulation and in such a world, reality, if there is such a thing, takes on a more tenuous hold.
- So I'm not going to swing for the fences when I, when I, when I'm on tenuous ground, I want to make sure that I've got control of some things.
- So the, the other connection that that may be there is a bit more tenuous and speculative is that you mentioned inflation.
Examples
-
Our little alliance with you is tenuous at best.
-
It's a highly tenuous connection, right?
-
I mean the link seems a little bit tenuous, but the idea seems, well, just a little bit.
-
But it is so tenuous because the reason that someone might say no could very easily be what they had for lunch.
-
As tenuous as it is, this is my best bet.
-
But the conservatives' hold on power at the state level was more tenuous than they believed.
Academic text (2017) -
Perhaps his hold on power was even more tenuous than he had imagined.
Fiction book (1996) -
So you're right, communication is kind of tenuous, but it's there.
-
I cannot doubt that this situation would be the death knell to our tenuous relationship.
Fiction book (2002) -
The connections between these policies and democratization are tenuous at best, if not simply non-existent.
Academic text (1993)
Synonyms
594
1.2
Small in amount or degree
221
5.2
Not strong or convincing, for example an argument
56
3.4
Very small and weak, not impressive
48
4.8
Too small in amount or quality to be enough
39
3.9
Based on weak support and likely to fail
30
5.5
A small amount that is barely enough
19
4.6
Weak and not convincing as an excuse or argument
9
6.8
Not solid or strong and not filling
2
6.6
A small amount or number that is barely enough
1
7.3
Not solid or real and having little value
Not solid, strong, or important
Antonyms
How Substantial
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 also comes from the Latin word tenuis 'thin', and you can picture a thin thread linking two things; that image shows why tenuous means a very weak or slight connection.