Tenacity Meaning
/təˈnæs.ɪ.ti/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe quality or state of being tenacious, or persistence of purpose; tenaciousness.
nounThe quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force, as distinguished from brittleness, fragility, mobility, etc.
Sentence Examples
I got over the difficulty with my characteristic tenacity.
He has a spirit of tenacity.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The athlete's ____ was evident when she kept training despite serious injuries.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It was his great ____ and hard work that allowed him to eventually succeed in the very competitive world of business today.
Word Origin & History
From tenac(ious) + -ity, from Middle French ténacité, from Latin tenācitās.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Like the Cuscus of the Moluccas, the Galeopithecus feeds chiefly on leaves, and possesses a very voluminous stomach and long convoluted intestines. The brain is very small, and the animal possesses such remarkable tenacity of life, that it is exceedingly difficult to kill it by any ordinary means."
— 1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume I, London: Macmillan and Co., page 211:
"— Our opponents may be younger, faster and less out of shape than we are, but we have something they’ll never have!
— Tenure?
— Tenacity!"
— 2009, Jorge Cham, PHD Comics: Softball: younger and faster:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The athlete's ____ was evident when she kept training despite serious injuries.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It was his great ____ and hard work that allowed him to eventually succeed in the very competitive world of business today.