tenacious

adjective

te·​na·​cious tə-ˈnā-shəs How to pronounce tenacious (audio)
1
a
: not easily pulled apart : cohesive
a tenacious metal
b
: tending to adhere or cling especially to another substance
tenacious burs
2
a
: persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired
a tenacious advocate of civil rights
tenacious negotiators
b
: retentive
a tenacious memory
tenaciously adverb
tenaciousness noun

Did you know?

Tenacious Has Latin Roots

For the more than 400 years that tenacious has been a part of the English language, it has adhered closely to its Latin antecedent: tenax, an adjective meaning "tending to hold fast." Almost from the first, tenacious could suggest either literal adhesion or figurative stick-to-itiveness. Sandburs are tenacious, and so are athletes who don't let defeat get them down. We use tenacious of a good memory, too—one that has a better than average capacity to hold information. But you can also have too much of a good thing. The addition in Latin of the prefix per- ("thoroughly") to tenax led to the English word pertinacious, meaning "perversely persistent." You might use pertinacious for the likes of rumors and telemarketers, for example.

Choose the Right Synonym for tenacious

strong, stout, sturdy, stalwart, tough, tenacious mean showing power to resist or to endure.

strong may imply power derived from muscular vigor, large size, structural soundness, intellectual or spiritual resources.

strong arms
the defense has a strong case

stout suggests an ability to endure stress, pain, or hard use without giving way.

stout hiking boots

sturdy implies strength derived from vigorous growth, determination of spirit, solidity of construction.

a sturdy table
people of sturdy independence

stalwart suggests an unshakable dependability.

stalwart environmentalists

tough implies great firmness and resiliency.

a tough political opponent

tenacious suggests strength in seizing, retaining, clinging to, or holding together.

tenacious farmers clinging to an age-old way of life

Examples of tenacious in a Sentence

But raw capitalism has also proved tenacious, evolving its own means of endlessly restimulating consumption … Nicholas Fraser, Harper's, November 2003
This "Southern Operation" would seal off China from outside help, thus underwriting victory in Japan's frustrating four-year war against Chiang Kai-shek's feckless but tenacious Chinese army. David M. Kennedy, Atlantic, March 1999
We have been nominally democratic for so long that we presume it is our natural condition rather than the product of persistent effort and tenacious responsibility. Benjamin R. Barber, Harper's, November 1993
Some people claim that by election day this year François Mitterrand had very little power besides the power of his own tenacious, authoritative, and austere persona. Jane Kramer, New Yorker, 30 May 1988
The company has a tenacious hold on the market. a tenacious trainer, she adheres to her grueling swimming schedule no matter what
Recent Examples on the Web But housing has proved a tenacious — and surprising — exception. Ben Casselman, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024 Gutierrez-Reed was independent and tenacious, with a good work ethic, according to Garner. Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2024 The Warriors played a gritty, fundamentally sound style that, like Oakland Tech, involved quick passes, smart shots and tenacious defense. Darren Sabedra, The Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2024 The granddaughter of a pioneer who traveled west from Vermont and founded the family ranch three decades before Arizona became a state, O'Connor had a tenacious, independent spirit that came naturally. Mark Sherman The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 2 Dec. 2023 When put on the defensive, just about any bear is tenacious—but so are tigers. Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 21 Feb. 2024 For the most part, the tenacious hairdresser shrugs off AA and settles on leading an aimless life. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024 Her mother, Jacqueline Koonce Hinson, was tenacious and launched Starship Entertainment, a management company whose roster included a 12-year-old singer named Faith Evans, who became an R&B superstar. Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2024 Astrobotic Technology The people who ran these missions were certainly tenacious. IEEE Spectrum, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tenacious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin tenāc-, tenāx "holding fast, clinging, persistent" (from tenēre "to hold, occupy, possess" + -āc-, deverbal suffix denoting habitual or successful performance) + -ious — more at tenant entry 1, audacious

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of tenacious was in 1607

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Dictionary Entries Near tenacious

Cite this Entry

“Tenacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenacious. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tenacious

adjective
te·​na·​cious tə-ˈnā-shəs How to pronounce tenacious (audio)
1
a
: not easily pulled apart
b
: tending to stick
2
a
: holding fast or tending to hold fast : persistent
people tenacious of their opinions
old ideas are tenacious
b
: retentive
a tenacious memory
tenaciously adverb
tenaciousness noun

Medical Definition

tenacious

adjective
te·​na·​cious tə-ˈnā-shəs How to pronounce tenacious (audio)
: tending to adhere or cling especially to another substance : viscous
coughed up 150 cc. of thick tenacious sputumJournal of the American Medical Association

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