tenacity
[tuh-nas-i-tee]
- the quality of being tenacious, or of holding fast; persistence: the amazing tenacity of rumors.
- the quality of retaining something: the tenacity of memory.
- the quality or property of holding together firmly: testing the tenacity of the old book's binding.
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Origin of tenacity
1520–30; < Latin tenācitās equivalent to tenāc- (stem of tenāx) holding fast, derivative of tenēre to hold + -itās -ity2
Synonyms
See more synonyms for tenacity on Thesaurus.comSee perseverance.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for tenacity
Contemporary Examples
Part of this tenacity, says McDaniel, seems born of his own struggle.
Kim approached her career with tenacity and sincerity; any sort of coolness, remove, or privacy was not a luxury she could afford.
Duran believe that patience and tenacity helped things progress this far and they will be required in order for continued success.
Sometimes this tenacity breaks its bounds, spilling into the primitive.
Luis Suarez, Uruguay’s Notorious Soccer Vampire, Strikes Again—Biting Italian in World Cup WinTunku Varadarajan
June 24, 2014
Harding attacked her routines with a resilience and tenacity that reflected her training and upbringing.
ESPN’s ‘The Price of Gold’ Revisits the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan ScandalAmy Zimmerman
January 15, 2014
Historical Examples
She clung to appearances with a tenacity that nothing could shake.
The Raid From Beausejour; And How The Carter Boys Lifted The MortgageCharles G. D. Roberts
The tenacity of this straw makes it very valuable for such purposes.
In the Heart of VosgesMatilda Betham-Edwards
I was somewhat irritated at the tenacity of this amiable diplomatist.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
Here was a combination of the tenacity of steel with much of the flexibility of rope.
"Yet it is evidence of a kind," insisted Carruthers, with the tenacity of a bull-dog.
The SnareRafael Sabatini
Word Origin and History for tenacity
n.
early 15c., from Middle French ténacité (14c.), from Latin tenacitas "the act of holding fast," from tenax (genitive tenacis) "tough, holding fast," from tenere "to hold" (see tenet).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper