Definition of TENUOUS (original) (raw)
Did you know?
Something tenuous has been stretched thin and might break at any time. A person with a tenuous hold on his sanity should be watched carefully. If a business is only tenuously surviving, it will probably go bankrupt in the next recession. If there seems to be only a tenuous connection between two crimes, it means the investigators have more work to do.
Choose the Right Synonym for tenuous
thin, slender, slim, slight, tenuous mean not thick, broad, abundant, or dense.
thin implies comparatively little extension between surfaces or in diameter, or it may imply lack of substance, richness, or abundance.
slender implies leanness or spareness often with grace and good proportion.
the slender legs of a Sheraton chair
slim applies to slenderness that suggests fragility or scantiness.
slight implies smallness as well as thinness.
tenuous implies extreme thinness, sheerness, or lack of substance and firmness.
Examples of tenuous in a Sentence
What is also true is that they, and I, were lucky, through genes or fate, to surge through the maelstrom of dashed hope and denied opportunity to grasp a tenuous piece of the American Dream. —
Anthony Walton, Lure and Loathing, 1993 After the end of the crusading period, however relations between East and West had grown tenuous … —Albert Hourani, Islam in European Thought, 1991 The authors follow researchers as they use the slimmest leads and the most tenuous connections to track the genes for Huntington's disease, muscular dystrophy, schizophrenia and a host of other physical and mental miseries. —Natalie Angier, New York Times Book Review, 12 Aug. 1990
He has a tenuous grasp on reality. The local theater has had a tenuous existence in recent years. He could demonstrate only a tenuous claim to ownership.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The situation is especially tenuous given the hefty $36 trillion federal deficit. —Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 2 Feb. 2025 But the drawing and redrawing of the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument from one presidential administration to the next illustrates the sometimes tenuous nature of land conserved by executive action. —Miyo McGinn, Outside Online, 22 Jan. 2025 However, Williamson has a tenuous relationship with the DNC, previously knocking the committee for not encouraging a competitive primary process in 2024 even as concerns over President Joe Biden‘s age and mental acuity grew. —Samantha-Jo Roth, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 Dec. 2024 Even if Hamas remains intact, it will be severely weakened after Israel's relentless targeting of its leadership, and the Islamist group's grip on the territory will likely be tenuous at best. —Scott Neuman, NPR, 22 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for tenuous 
Word History
Etymology
Latin tenuis "fine-drawn, thin, narrow, slight" + -ous — more at thin entry 1
First Known Use
1597, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Time Traveler
The first known use of tenuous was in 1597
Dictionary Entries Near tenuous
Cite this Entry
“Tenuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenuous. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
Share
More from Merriam-Webster on tenuous
Last Updated: 7 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!