tenuous
adjective
ten·u·ous
ˈten-yə-wəs 
-yü-əs
1
b
: shaky sense 2a
tenuous reasons
2
: not thick : slender
a tenuous rope
tenuously
adverb
tenuousness
noun
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What is the Definition of tenuous?
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.
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.
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
But the peace between them is tenuous, sustained by Sean repeatedly swallowing his feelings, while Tim obliviously takes the credit for his success.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2024
Still, polls show Harris’s support with Black men — particularly young Black men — to be tenuous, at best.
—Cheyanne M. Daniels, The Hill, 29 Oct. 2024
In the age of social media, freestyling is a tenuous ask for rappers, but Ché’s unfazed.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2024
Simone, the wrecking agent, causes tenuous systems to spin out of whack, with the events coming close to, but never approaching, real tragedy.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tenuous 
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Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2024
Still, polls show Harris’s support with Black men — particularly young Black men — to be tenuous, at best.
—Cheyanne M. Daniels, The Hill, 29 Oct. 2024
In the age of social media, freestyling is a tenuous ask for rappers, but Ché’s unfazed.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2024
Simone, the wrecking agent, causes tenuous systems to spin out of whack, with the events coming close to, but never approaching, real tragedy.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tenuous
Dictionary Entries Near tenuous
Cite this Entry
“Tenuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenuous. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tenuous
adjective
ten·u·ous
ˈten-yə-wəs
tenuously
adverb
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