tenuous
adjective
ten·u·ous
| \ ˈten-yə-wəs
, -yü-əs\
, -yü-əs\
Definition of tenuous
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Though its ties to the volcanoes remain tenuous, the infamous Plague of Justinian—which killed tens of millions of people—started in 541, during the worst of the cooling. — Michael Greshko, National Geographic, "Colossal volcano behind 'mystery' global cooling finally found," 23 Aug. 2019 Even so, the threat of a slowing economy can make its gains seem tenuous. — Fortune, "Big-Box Rebound: How Target Packaged a Turnaround," 20 Aug. 2019 Then again, Gordon’s situation seems permanently tenuous. — Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, "Where’s Josh Gordon? One man’s search for the would-be Patriots receiver," 11 Aug. 2019 Krenwinkel's connections to Mobile were tenuous, but recurrent. — al, "Alabama arrest ended Manson Family member’s flight," 8 Aug. 2019 The third of Thursday's guarantee deadlines is a bit more tenuous, as much a product of the roster as the productivity of the player himself. — Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, "Heat facing three guarantee deadlines this week, with roster flexibility in balance," 28 July 2019 While no Super Bowl champions this millennium has exited the preseason without a win, the link between August perfection and February glory is tenuous. — Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, "Inside the Ravens’ extremely impressive, mostly insignificant 16-game preseason winning streak," 26 Aug. 2019 In May, lawmakers approved legislation making Minnesota the latest state to levy a fee on drugmakers and distributors to help cover costs of responding to the opioid crisis. While that’s all good news, state leaders warn those successes are tenuous. — Christopher Magan, Twin Cities, "Five ways Minnesota is fighting the opioid addiction epidemic," 25 Aug. 2019 However, Brown’s status for the preseason and potentially Week 1 of the regular season is tenuous. — oregonlive.com, "Oakland Raiders’ Antonio Brown suffered extreme frostbite on his feet: Report," 8 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tenuous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for tenuous
tenuous
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of tenuous
: not certain, definite, or strong : flimsy, weak, or uncertain
literary
: very thin
See the full definition for tenuous in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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