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?

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How to use tenuous in a sentence?

1. Wang Yi:

   The world is braced for a second wave of infection - what lies ahead is a tenuous and uphill battle, defeating the pandemic requires concerted efforts from all countries. The major ones in particular should play an exemplary role in promoting collaboration.

2. 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.

3. Chuck Schumer:

   As Canada prepares to further open the border next month, the United States is failing to reciprocate, jeopardizing an already tenuous recovery for thousands of businesses, families, and communities across Upstate New York.

4. Bruce Clark:

   From our standpoint we wouldn't characterize Tesla as having a robust liquidity position by any means, but it's less tenuous than it was six to nine months ago.

5. Martin Cordiner:

   The diffuse ISM was historically considered too harsh and tenuous an environment for appreciable abundances of large molecules to occur, prior to the detection of C60, the largest known molecules in space were only 12 atoms in size. Our confirmation of C60 + shows just how complex astrochemistry can get, even in the lowest density, most strongly ultraviolet-irradiated environments in the Galaxy.