Tenuous Meaning
/ˈtɛn.ju.əs/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjThin in substance or consistency.
adjInsubstantial.
Sentence Examples
Relations are tenuous as peace talks resume between warring factions.
Netanyahu's grip on power is tenuous.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The connection between the two events was ____ and based on weak evidence.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The link between the two events was very ____ and there was little evidence to suggest that they were actually related today.
Word Origin & History
Irregularly formed from Latin tenuis (“thin, slight”) + -ous. Compare tenuious.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Paulina's repeated, almost anxious iteration of the lawfulness of her actions serves as a reminder of women's tenuous stance before the law in early modern English society."
— 1994, M. Lindsey Kaplan, Katherine Eggert, ““Good queen, my lord, good queen” - Sexual Slander and the Trials of Female Authority in “The Winter's Tale””, in Renaissance Drama, volume 25, →DOI, page 110 of 89–118:
"Is this connected to "pro-gay" Governor Weld's contract with some in the community—gay rights in exchange for keeping sex out of the picture? Those willing to make this 'bargain with the devil' depend for their tenuous status on keeping the rest of us in line, moralizing about the need to behave "beyond reproach," clarifying to the straight public that there are good gays and bad ones."
— 1996 September, “Moral Clashes”, in Gay Community News, page 4:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The connection between the two events was ____ and based on weak evidence.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The link between the two events was very ____ and there was little evidence to suggest that they were actually related today.