tenuous

Intermediatezipf 3.02

Pronunciation

/ˈtɛnjuəs/(TEN-yoo-us)

Part of speech

adjectiveformal

Chinese

薄弱的；脆弱的；站不住脚的

Definition

Very weak, slight, or insubstantial; barely existing.

Word family

  • tenuously/ˈtɛnjuəsli/(adv)脆弱地
  • tenuousness/ˈtɛnjuəsnəs/(n)

Collocations

  • tenuous connection
  • tenuous grip
  • tenuous link
  • tenuous evidence

Examples

  1. 1.The link between the two events is tenuous at best. (very weak)
  2. 2.He maintained a tenuous hold on power after the scandal. (barely holding)

Synonyms

  • flimsy/ˈflɪmzi/— weak, easily damaged
  • fragile/ˈfrædʒaɪl/— easily broken
  • dubious/ˈdjuːbiəs/— doubtful, questionable

Etymology

from Latin "tenuis" = thin, slender — stretched so thin it might snap