tenable
[ ten-uh-buhl ]
/ ˈtɛn ə bəl /
Save This Word!
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.
SYNONYMS FOR tenable
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!
Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!
Question 1 of 7
Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?
First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.
First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.
First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT Meet Grammar Coach
Improve Your Writing
Origin of tenable
OTHER WORDS FROM tenable
Words nearby tenable
tempus edax rerum, tempus fugit, Tempyō, Temuco, ten, tenable, tenace, tenacious, tenacity, ten-acre block, tenaculum
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for tenable
British Dictionary definitions for tenable
tenable
/ (ˈtɛnəbəl) /
adjective
able to be upheld, believed, maintained, or defended
Derived forms of tenable
tenability or tenableness, nountenably, adverbWord 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