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
The situation is especially tenuous given the hefty $36 trillion federal deficit.
—Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 2 Feb. 2025
But the drawing and redrawing of the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument from one presidential administration to the next illustrates the sometimes tenuous nature of land conserved by executive action.
—Miyo McGinn, Outside Online, 22 Jan. 2025
However, Williamson has a tenuous relationship with the DNC, previously knocking the committee for not encouraging a competitive primary process in 2024 even as concerns over President Joe Biden‘s age and mental acuity grew.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 Dec. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for tenuous 
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Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 2 Feb. 2025
But the drawing and redrawing of the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument from one presidential administration to the next illustrates the sometimes tenuous nature of land conserved by executive action.
—Miyo McGinn, Outside Online, 22 Jan. 2025
However, Williamson has a tenuous relationship with the DNC, previously knocking the committee for not encouraging a competitive primary process in 2024 even as concerns over President Joe Biden‘s age and mental acuity grew.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 Dec. 2024
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
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 8 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tenuous
adjective
ten·u·ous
ˈten-yə-wəs
tenuously
adverb
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