TENUOUS Meaning of TENUOUS in English adj. 1 slight, of little substance (tenuous connection). 2 (of a distinction etc.) oversubtle. 3 thin, slender, small. 4 rarefied. tenuously adv. tenuousness n.[ L tenuis ] Concise Oxford English dictionary. Краткий оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2012