TENUOUS


Meaning of TENUOUS in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈten-yə-wəs, -yü-əs ]

adjective

Etymology: Latin tenuis thin, slight, tenuous — more at thin

Date: 1597

1. : not dense : rare

a tenuous fluid

2. : not thick : slender

a tenuous rope

3.

a. : having little substance or strength : flimsy , weak

tenuous influences

b. : shaky 2a

tenuous reasons

on grounds that were tenuous

Synonyms: see thin

• ten·u·ous·ly adverb

• ten·u·ous·ness noun

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.