tenuous
Americanadjective
-
lacking a sound basis, as reasoning; unsubstantiated; weak.
a tenuous argument.
-
of slight importance or significance.
He holds a rather tenuous position in history.
- Synonyms:
- trifling, trivial, insignificant
- Antonyms:
- substantial, important
-
lacking in clarity; vague.
He gave a rather tenuous account of his past life.
-
thin or slender in form, as a thread.
- Synonyms:
- attenuated
- Antonyms:
- thick
-
thin in consistency; rare or rarefied.
adjective
-
insignificant or flimsy
a tenuous argument
-
slim, fine, or delicate
a tenuous thread
-
diluted or rarefied in consistency or density
a tenuous fluid
Other Word Forms
- tenuity noun
- tenuously adverb
- tenuousness noun
- untenuous adjective
- untenuously adverb
- untenuousness noun
Etymology
Origin of tenuous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Countries where the rule of law is tenuous are viewed, rightly, as riskier places to do business.
Two blowout losses in Michigan and a narrow overtime escape from Minnesota had made clear how tenuous the Trojans’ early success had been.
From Los Angeles Times
"So we knew there was a tenuous link, but we didn't know whether they would recognise each other, or how they would react."
From BBC
“Invincible,” I wrote about the team’s rebuilt roster, a word that was so comforting during such a time when everything in life felt tenuous.
From Los Angeles Times
Priests too are often immigrants themselves, putting the Church in an increasingly tenuous position.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
