Skip to content
GREMockTests
GRE vocabulary

tenuous

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore T words

weak, slight, or lacking a solid basis

Word origin: From Latin tenuis, thin.

Test your vocabulary in a real test Full-length · no signup · instant score
In a sentence

Tenuous in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing tenuous in a sentence.

The link between the two events was so tenuous that no one took the theory seriously.

The connection between the two events was so tenuous that the panel declined to treat one as a cause of the other.

Synonyms
flimsyweakinsubstantialslight
Antonyms
strongsubstantialsolid
Usage & nuance

Using “tenuous” well

Tenuous means weak, slight, or lacking a solid basis, as in a tenuous argument or a tenuous grip. It opposes anything strong or substantial.

Common questions

Questions about “tenuous

Tenuous (adjective) means weak, slight, or lacking a solid basis
Here is tenuous used in an example sentence: "The link between the two events was so tenuous that no one took the theory seriously." Another example: "The connection between the two events was so tenuous that the panel declined to treat one as a cause of the other."
Common synonyms for tenuous include flimsy, weak, insubstantial, slight.
Antonyms of tenuous include strong, substantial, solid.
Clusters with flimsy, weak, and insubstantial in Sentence Equivalence. Its antonyms strong, substantial, and solid mark the opposite end of the sentence.
Yes. Tenuous is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

See these words the way the GRE tests them.

Definitions in isolation do not stick. Sit a free, full-length GRE mock and meet this vocabulary inside real text completion and sentence equivalence questions, with your score and a worked solution for every answer.