Tenuous — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

having thin consistency

very thin in gauge or diameter

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/tˈɛnjuːəs/

🇬🇧British English

/tˈɛnjuːəs/

🇮🇳Indian English

/tˈɛnjuːəs/

2 syllables Say it as /tˈɛnjuːəs/.

Examples

a tenuous fluid
a tenuous thread
slight evidence

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

thin flimsy fragile slight

Parts of Speech

adjective	having thin consistency “a tenuous fluid”
adjective	very thin in gauge or diameter “a tenuous thread”
adjective	lacking substance or significance; ; ; ; a fragile claim to fame" “slight evidence”

Word Forms

tenuity	noun	a rarified quality
slightness	noun	the quality of being unimportant and petty or frivolous
thinness	noun	the property of being scanty or scattered; lacking denseness

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

dürftig

mit dünnflüssiger Konsistenz

🇫🇷French

ténu

ayant une consistance fine

🇪🇸Spanish

tenue

tener una consistencia fina

🇮🇹Italian

tenue

avente consistenza sottile

🇳🇱Dutch

zwak

met een dunne consistentie

🇵🇹Portuguese

tênue

tendo consistência fina

🇷🇺Russian

тонкий

иметь тонкую консистенцию

India

🇮🇳Hindi

तुच्छ

पतली स्थिरता होना

🇧🇩Bengali

ক্ষীণ

পাতলা ধারাবাহিকতা আছে

🇮🇳Tamil

மெல்லிய

மெல்லிய நிலைத்தன்மை கொண்டது

🇮🇳Telugu

పల్చని

సన్నని స్థిరత్వం కలిగి

🇮🇳Marathi

क्षीण

पातळ सुसंगतता असणे

🇮🇳Gujarati

નાજુક

પાતળી સુસંગતતા ધરાવે છે

🇮🇳Kannada

ತೆಳ್ಳಗಿನ

ತೆಳುವಾದ ಸ್ಥಿರತೆಯನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿರುತ್ತದೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

ദുർബലമായ

നേർത്ത സ്ഥിരത ഉള്ളത്

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਕਮਜ਼ੋਰ

ਪਤਲੀ ਇਕਸਾਰਤਾ ਹੋਣਾ

🇵🇰Urdu

کمزور

پتلی مستقل مزاجی

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

脆弱的

具有稀薄的稠度

🇯🇵Japanese

希薄な

粘稠度が薄い

🇰🇷Korean

얇은

일관성이 약함

🇻🇳Vietnamese

mong manh

có tính nhất quán mỏng

🇹🇭Thai

ผอมบาง

มีความบางสม่ำเสมอ

🇮🇩Indonesian

lemah

mempunyai konsistensi yang tipis

🇵🇭Filipino

mahina

pagkakaroon ng manipis na pagkakapare-pareho

🇲🇾Malay

lemah

mempunyai konsistensi nipis

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

ضعيف

وجود اتساق رقيقة

🇮🇷Persian

ضعیف

دارای قوام نازک

🇹🇷Turkish

zayıf

ince kıvama sahip

🇮🇱Hebrew

קָלוּשׁ

בעל עקביות דקה

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'tenuous'?

The primary meaning of 'tenuous' is 'having thin consistency'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'tenuous' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'tenuous' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'tenuous' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'tenuous' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'tenuous' in your daily reading?

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Do you find 'tenuous' easy to spell?

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In your opinion, does the word 'tenuous' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

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Neutral

Gloomy

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Which age group is most likely to use 'tenuous' in regular conversations?

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Adults (20-60)

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How likely are you to use 'tenuous' in a professional email?

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Would you classify 'tenuous' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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