TENUOUS: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for TENUOUS?

Need another word that means the same as “tenuous”? Find 18 synonyms and 30 related words for “tenuous” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Tenuous” are: flimsy, fragile, slight, thin, insubstantial, negligible, weak, shaky, sketchy, doubtful, dubious, questionable, suspect, fine, slender, attenuated, delicate, gossamer

Tenuous as an Adjective

Definitions of "Tenuous" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “tenuous” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Very thin in gauge or diameter.
• Lacking substance or significance.
• Very slender or fine; insubstantial.
• Very weak or slight.
• Having thin consistency.

Synonyms of "Tenuous" as an adjective (18 Words)

attenuated	Reduced in strength. It appears likely that the courts will be given an attenuated role in the enforcement of these decisions.
delicate	Requiring sensitive or careful handling. His delicate health.
doubtful	Improbable. They were doubtful that the cord would hold.
dubious	Not convinced. What one found uncertain the other found dubious or downright false.
fine	Characterized by elegance or refinement or accomplishment. What a fine human being he is.
flimsy	Lacking substance or significance. A pretty flimsy excuse.
fragile	Lacking substance or significance. You have a fragile grip on reality.
gossamer	So thin as to transmit light. Gossamer shading through his playing.
insubstantial	Lacking in nutritive value. As insubstantial as a dream.
negligible	So small or unimportant as to be not worth considering; insignificant. The effect was negligible.
questionable	Able to be refuted. A questionable reputation.
shaky	Not secure; beset with difficulties. Thoroughly shaky evidence.
sketchy	Dishonest or disreputable. A sketchy pencil drawing by Toulouse Lautrec.
slender	Being of delicate or slender build. Her slender neck.
slight	(especially of a creative work) not profound or substantial; rather trivial or superficial. A slight increase.
suspect	Not as expected. Her motives were suspect.
thin	Relatively thin in consistency or low in density not viscous. A thin chiffon blouse.
weak	Relating to or denoting the weakest of the known kinds of force between particles which acts only at distances less than about 10 cm is very much weaker than the electromagnetic and the strong interactions and conserves neither strangeness parity nor isospin. Their commitment to the project is weak.

Usage Examples of "Tenuous" as an adjective

• A tenuous argument.
• A tenuous thread.
• A tenuous cloud.
• A tenuous fluid.
• The tenuous link between interest rates and investment.

Associations of "Tenuous" (30 Words)

bauble	Cheap showy jewelry or ornament on clothing. Once stripped of their tinsel and baubles most Christmas trees end up in landfill.
drizzle	(in cooking) trickle a thin stream of (a liquid ingredient) over food. When it drizzles in summer hiking can be pleasant.
flimsy	(of clothing) very light and thin. A flimsy argument.
frivolous	(of a person) carefree and superficial. The frivolous fun loving flappers of the twenties.
inconsequential	Not important or significant. They talked about inconsequential things.
inconsiderable	Of small size, amount, or extent. A not inconsiderable amount of money.
insignificant	Signifying nothing. A minor insignificant bureaucrat.
insubstantial	Lacking strength and solidity. An insubstantial mirage on the horizon.
less	Fewer. Less than three years old.
meanness	Lack of quality or attractiveness; shabbiness. He is also callous with a streak of meanness.
mini	Denoting a miniature version of something. A mini dress.
minimal	Characterized by simplicity and lack of adornment or decoration. P and b are a minimal pair distinguished by the feature of voicing.
minor	The minor leagues in baseball or American football. A minor official.
negligible	So small or unimportant as to be not worth considering; insignificant. The effect was negligible.
nominal	Relating to or constituting or bearing or giving a name. They charge a nominal fee for the service.
paltry	Contemptibly small in amount. She would earn a paltry 33 more a month.
peccadillo	A petty misdeed. The sexual peccadilloes of celebrities aren t necessarily news.
pettiness	Lack of generosity in trifling matters. Try to overlook insults and pettinesses.
petty	Inferior in rank or status. The petty divisions of party politics.
picayune	An insignificant person or thing. Giving a police officer a free meal may be against the law but it seems to be a picayune infraction.
piddling	Pathetically trivial; trifling. Piddling little questions.
quaver	A note having the time value of an eighth of a semibreve or half a crotchet, represented by a large dot with a hooked stem. It was impossible to hide the slight quaver in her voice.
slight	(quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with `a’) at least some. There s slight chance that it will work.
stickle	Especially of a hill or path: steep, sloping; set at a sharp angle; high.
stickler	A person who insists on a certain quality or type of behaviour. I m a stickler when it comes to timekeeping.
trifling	The deliberate act of delaying and playing instead of working. A trifling sum.
trivial	Concerned with trivialities. Trivial details.
undersized	Smaller than normal for its kind. The undersized cubs may not survive the winter.
unimportant	Lacking in importance or significance. A relatively unimportant feature of the system.
vain	Characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance. A vain attempt to tidy up the room.