Synonyms for tenuous
ˈtɛn yu əsten·u·ous

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. tenuous

   Fine (Latin finis, end) denotes that which has been brought to a full end, finished. From this root-sense many derived meanings branch out, causing words quite remote from each other to be alike synonyms of fine. That which is truly finished, brought to an ideal end, is excellent of its kind, and beautiful, if a thing that admits of beauty; as, a fine house, fine trees, a fine woman, a fine morning; if a thing that admits of the removal of impurities, it is not finished till these are removed, and hence fine signifies clarified, clear, pure, refined; as, fine gold. That which is finished is apt to be polished, smooth to the touch, minutely exact in outline; hence fine comes to be a synonym for all words like dainty, delicate, exquisite; as, fine manners, a fine touch, fine perceptions. As that which is delicate is apt to be small, by an easy extension of meaning fine becomes a synonym for slender, slight, minute, comminuted; as, a fine thread, fine sand; or for filmy, tenuous, thin; as, a fine lace, fine wire; and as a thin edge is keen, sharp, fine becomes also a synonym for these words; as, a fine point, a fine edge. Compare BEAUTIFUL; MINUTE.

   Synonyms:
   beautiful, clarified, clear, comminuted, dainty, delicate, elegant, excellent, exquisite, fine, gauzy, handsome, keen, minute, nice, polished, pure, refined, sensitive, sharp, slender, slight, small, smooth, splendid, subtile, subtle, thin

   Antonyms:
   big, blunt, clumsy, coarse, great, heavy, huge, immense, large, rude, stout, thick

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:4.5 / 2 votes

1. tenuousadjective

   having thin consistency

   "a tenuous fluid"

   Synonyms:
   fragile, thin, flimsy, slight

   Antonyms:
   thick, important, significant

2. tenuousadjective

   very thin in gauge or diameter

   "a tenuous thread"

   Synonyms:
   fragile, thin, flimsy, slight

   Antonyms:
   important, thick, significant

3. flimsy, fragile, slight, tenuous, thinadjective

   lacking substance or significance

   "slight evidence"; "a tenuous argument"; "a thin plot"; a fragile claim to fame"

   Synonyms:
   slender, delicate, slight, sparse, slim, fragile, lean, frail, thin, flimsy, little(a), svelte, unconvincing

   Antonyms:
   important, thick, significant

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "tenuous":

   fragile, precarious, weak, flimsy

How to pronounce tenuous?

How to say tenuous in sign language?

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use tenuous in a sentence?

1. Francis Birungi:

   There is a great disparity between the protection enshrined by the law and women’s lives and experiences, and land security for millions of women and their children remains tenuous.

2. Kevin Daly:

   The outlook is tenuous for some countries, given the sensitivity for oil, investors will be a little bit more circumspect and demand a higher risk premium when it comes to these kind of commodities-sensitive countries in the current backdrop.

3. Tim Morrison:

   The security situation remains tenuous and it is the position of the US government, there is no disagreement, that the security of our staff, the safety of our staff, the security of our personnel is our highest priority, we are looking at every option available to us to provide assistance, technical expertise to the region, but the security situation is a significant impediment.

4. Wes Unseld:

   In the early season, we bounced back from these stretches, this has kind of been the longest duration where things have been kind of tenuous for us. It’s certainly a test. We have no choice. We have to pull together and we have to dig ourselves out, and we’ve got to find a way.

5. Michael Rubin:

   The King's reputation among Islamists is already tenuous, and will only grow more so, in recent months, pressured by the UAE, upon whose financing Jordan is dependent, he has cracked down on the Jordanian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.