tenable

[ ten-uh-buhl ]

/ ˈtɛn ə bəl /

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adjective

capable of being held, maintained, or defended, as against attack or dispute: a tenable theory.

capable of being occupied, possessed, held, or enjoyed, as under certain conditions: a research grant tenable for two years.

Nearby words

ten., tena, tena koe, tena korua, tena koutou, tenable, tenace, tenacious, tenaciously, tenacity, tenaculum

Origin of tenable

1570–80; < French: that can be held, equivalent to ten(ir) to hold (≪ Latin tenēre) + -able -able

SYNONYMS FOR tenable

1 workable, viable, maintainable, warrantable.

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Related forms

ten·a·bil·i·ty, ten·a·ble·ness, nounten·a·bly, adverbnon·ten·a·bil·i·ty, nounnon·ten·a·ble, adjective

non·ten·a·ble·ness, nounnon·ten·a·bly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tenable

Employee dumping is when employers find it tenable to pay the per-employee penalty for not providing health insurance.
Five Things You Need to Know About the Health-Care Exchange Rollout|William O’Connor|October 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
That does not mean it is practical, advisable, tenable, moral or that it should be perpetual.
Seeking A Realistic Mature Discussion About "Settlements"|Gil Troy|February 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
On the other hand, an exclusive focus on satisfaction is not tenable either.
Daniel Kahneman Talks Intuition and Optimism With Sam Harris|Sam Harris|November 30, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The Scholarships and Exhibitions shall be tenable only for the purposes of education.
A History of Giggleswick School|Edward Allen Bell

This view of things is the only tenable attitude an officer or enlisted leader can take toward his subordinates.
The Armed Forces Officer|U. S. Department of Defense
But, frankly, none of these hypotheses appear to me to be tenable; the mystery does not lie so plainly on the surface.
In Jeopardy|Van Tassel Sutphen
Theydon was no lawyer, but he was assured that an agreement founded on positive wrong was not tenable, legally or morally.
Number Seventeen|Louis Tracy
Moreover, all his Colonels assured him that the wall was not tenable against a vigorous assault.
Rupert Prince Palatine|Eva Scott

British Dictionary definitions for tenable

tenable

/ (ˈtɛnəbəl) /

adjective

able to be upheld, believed, maintained, or defended

Derived Formstenability or tenableness, nountenably, adverb

Word Origin for tenable

C16: from Old French, from tenir to hold, from Latin tenēre

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for tenable

tenable

adj.

1570s, from Middle French tenable, from Old French (12c.), from tenir "to hold," from Latin tenere "hold, keep" (see tenet).

tenable

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of tenable

Examples from the Web for tenable

British Dictionary definitions for tenable

tenable

adjective

Word Origin for tenable

Word Origin and History for tenable

tenable