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 That from a man small in stature but nippy and tenacious, not to mention technically gifted—these characteristics have kept him at the top level in Spain. Henry Flynn, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024 Back from the brink: The northern bald ibis, considered one of the rarest birds in the world, has rebounded thanks to tenacious conservation efforts. Daniel Wine, CNN, 30 Sep. 2024 But Lee also explores Miller’s relationship with British Vogue’s tenacious editor-in-chief Audrey Withers, played by Andrea Riseborough. Robin Muir, Vogue, 26 Sep. 2024 Stinging nettle is a tenacious weed that will regrow from even the smallest root or rhizome left in the soil. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tenacious 

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

Dictionary Entries Near tenacious

Cite this Entry

“Tenacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenacious. Accessed 3 Oct. 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 sputumThe Journal of the American Medical Association

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