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tenuous

/ˈtenjuəs//ˈtenjuəs/·adjective
very weak or slight; so thin or flimsy it could give way
Fig. 1 — Two masses hang joined by a single thread, and at rest it sags between them, full enough to see plainly.
01Definition

Tenuous means stretched thin — from the Latin tenuis, 'thin, fine'. A tenuous thread, a tenuous grip, a tenuous connection between two ideas: in every case there is barely enough substance to hold. The word is a favorite for arguments and links that are technically present but unconvincing — a tenuous claim rests on almost nothing. What is tenuous has not broken, but it is precarious, and the smallest strain may be enough to part it.

02In use
  • iThe evidence for the theory is tenuous, resting on a single disputed study.
  • iiHe kept a tenuous hold on the ledge until help arrived.
  • iiiTheir connection was tenuous, yet it managed to persist for years on a few letters.
03Collocations
  • a tenuous link
  • a tenuous grasp
  • tenuous evidence
  • a tenuous connection

Family tenuously (adverb) · tenuousness (noun)

04Relations

=flimsy, slight, fragile, precarious, insubstantial

≠strong, solid, substantial

05Compared
PairThe difference
tenuous vs precariousa position or state balanced on the edge, about to fall → precarious; a link or claim stretched thin, barely holding → tenuous.
06TOEFL & IELTS

A band-8 word for evaluating arguments: in IELTS and TOEFL writing, calling a link or claim 'tenuous' is a precise, academic way to say the reasoning is weak. Reading passages use 'a tenuous connection/grasp' both literally and figuratively. Keep the collocations 'a tenuous link' and 'tenuous evidence', and don't confuse it with 'tenacious' (holding on firmly) — almost its opposite.

07Asked
What does 'a tenuous connection' mean?
A link so weak it barely counts — a relationship, resemblance or line of reasoning with almost nothing substantial behind it. 'The two events have only a tenuous connection' means you can trace a thread between them, but it would snap under any weight. It is the phrase's most common use, and a precise, academic way to dismiss a claimed link as flimsy without calling it outright false.
What does tenuous mean?
Stretched so thin it could give way — from Latin tenuis, 'thin, fine'. It works literally (a tenuous thread, a tenuous grip on a ledge) and, far more often, figuratively (a tenuous argument, a tenuous connection): technically present but barely holding. The scene above is the word exact — two masses joined by a single thread that thins almost to nothing at the middle, holding only because nothing pulled quite hard enough to test it.
What is the difference between tenuous and tentative?
They sound alike and mean different things. Tenuous is about weakness of substance — a link or claim that is flimsy and barely holds. Tentative is about hesitancy — done unsurely, provisionally, ready to be changed: a tentative offer, a tentative first step. A tenuous conclusion rests on thin evidence; a tentative one is put forward cautiously. One is fragile; the other is unsure.
How do you pronounce tenuous?
TEN-yoo-us — three syllables, stress on the first, with a clear 'yoo' in the middle. The common slips are flattening it to two syllables ('TEN-yus') or misreading the opening as 'ten-YOO'. Its noun, tenuousness, keeps the same front stress. And do not let it drift toward tenacious, which looks similar but means the near-opposite — holding on firmly.
What are synonyms for tenuous?
By angle: flimsy and insubstantial catch the lack of solidity; slight and thin catch the smallness; fragile and precarious catch the risk of giving way. Reach for tenuous itself when evaluating an argument or a link — it is the academic's word for reasoning that is weak but not yet broken, more precise and measured than the blunter 'weak' or 'shaky'.