What does tenuous mean?

tenuous means "having thin consistency". That is the primary sense; the word has 3 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in tenuous?

tenuous has 3 syllables: ten-u-ous. The stress falls on "ten". In IPA it is /ˈtɛnjəwəs/.

What is another word for tenuous?

Close synonyms include flimsy, fragile, slight, thin. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is tenuous a common word?

tenuous is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

Tenuous — meaning, pronunciation and 3 senses

adjective

3 sensesA word that describes or qualifies a noun.

1.
having thin consistency
“a tenuous fluid”
Similarthin
2.
very thin in gauge or diameter
“a tenuous thread”
Similarthin
3.
lacking substance or significance
“slight evidence”
“a tenuous argument”
“a thin plot”
“a fragile claim to fame”
Synonymsflimsy fragile slight thin
Similarinsignificant

Questions about tenuous

What does tenuous mean?: tenuous means "having thin consistency". That is the primary sense; the word has 3 in total, listed in full on this page.
How many syllables are in tenuous?: tenuous has 3 syllables: ten-u-ous. The stress falls on "ten". In IPA it is /ˈtɛnjəwəs/.
What is another word for tenuous?: Close synonyms include flimsy, fragile, slight, thin. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.
Is tenuous a common word?: tenuous is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for tenuous come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.

adjective

3 sensesA word that describes or qualifies a noun.

1.
having thin consistency
“a tenuous fluid”
Similarthin
2.
very thin in gauge or diameter
“a tenuous thread”
Similarthin
3.
lacking substance or significance
“slight evidence”
“a tenuous argument”
“a thin plot”
“a fragile claim to fame”
Synonymsflimsy fragile slight thin
Similarinsignificant

Questions about tenuous

What does tenuous mean?: tenuous means "having thin consistency". That is the primary sense; the word has 3 in total, listed in full on this page.
How many syllables are in tenuous?: tenuous has 3 syllables: ten-u-ous. The stress falls on "ten". In IPA it is /ˈtɛnjəwəs/.
What is another word for tenuous?: Close synonyms include flimsy, fragile, slight, thin. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.
Is tenuous a common word?: tenuous is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

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tenuous

adjective

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tenuous

adjective

Questions about tenuous