tenuous
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yu adjective
1.
thin or slender in form, as a thread.
2.
lacking a sound basis, as reasoning; unsubstantiated; weak: a tenuous argument.
3.
thin in consistency; rare or rarefied.
4.
of slight importance or significance; unsubstantial: He holds a rather tenuous position in history.
5.
lacking in clarity; vague: He gave a rather tenuous account of his past life.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To Tenuous
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Tenuous
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is besmirch. Does it mean:
| hard or impossible to manage; stubbornly disobedient |
| v.?? |
Collins
World English Dictionary
tenuous (ˈtɛnjʊəs) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | insignificant or flimsy: a tenuous argument |
| 2. | slim, fine, or delicate: a tenuous thread |
| 3. | diluted or rarefied in consistency or density: a tenuous fluid |
| [C16: from Latin tenuis] | |
| tenuity | |
| —n | |
| 'tenuousness | |
| —n | |
| 'tenuously | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tenuous
1597, irregularly formed from L. tenuis "thin," from PIE base *ten- "to stretch" (cf. Skt. tanuh "thin," lit. "stretched out;" see tenet) + -ous. The correct form with respect to the L. root would be tenuious. The sense of "having slight importance, not substantial" is found from c.1817.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
As to the relationship between that and your habits in thoughts and actions, that is pretty tenuous.
But taken together they appear less tenuous, though still far from robust enough confidently to claim discovery.
The report appears designed to promote the tenuous concept that invasive giant snakes are a national threat.
Given the mudslinging that is widely expected from all sides, this is a tenuous proposition.
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