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
Even if Hamas remains intact, it will be severely weakened after Israel's relentless targeting of its leadership, and the Islamist group's grip on the territory will likely be tenuous at best.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 22 Jan. 2025
Nacua now appears on track to earn a huge extension before the 2026 season, which also makes Kupp’s situation tenuous.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is trying to pass the bill along party lines, but his path for doing so is tenuous due to his razor-thin majority.
Driving the news: The bipartisan SALT Caucus huddled in the Rayburn House Office Building on Tuesday afternoon for the first time since last year.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 14 Jan. 2025
The relationship between Japan and South Korea is especially tenuous.
—Robin Niblett, Foreign Affairs, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for tenuous 
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Scott Neuman, NPR, 22 Jan. 2025
Nacua now appears on track to earn a huge extension before the 2026 season, which also makes Kupp’s situation tenuous.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is trying to pass the bill along party lines, but his path for doing so is tenuous due to his razor-thin majority.
Driving the news: The bipartisan SALT Caucus huddled in the Rayburn House Office Building on Tuesday afternoon for the first time since last year.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 14 Jan. 2025
The relationship between Japan and South Korea is especially tenuous.
—Robin Niblett, Foreign Affairs, 8 Jan. 2025
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 27 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tenuous
adjective
ten·u·ous
ˈten-yə-wəs
tenuously
adverb
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