tenable

adjective

ˈte-nə-bəl How to pronounce tenable (audio)
Definition of tenablenext
1
as in defendable
capable of being defended against physical attack the soldiers' encampment on the open plain was not tenable, so they retreated to higher ground

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in justifiable
capable of being defended with good reasoning against verbal attack the tenable theory that a giant meteor strike set off a chain of events resulting in the demise of the dinosaurs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tenable How tenable will an all-righty bench be over the medium to long term? — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026 But the more tenable tea on the name involves eighteenth-century trading ships of the British Empire. — Andrew Norman Wilson, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026 David Harris, a University of Pittsburgh law professor specializing in criminal law, said the charges against the protesters are more tenable, given the federal laws against disrupting the free exercise of worship. — Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026 These Countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have put a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable. — Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 17 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tenable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tenable
  1. defendable
  2. justifiable
  3. defended
  4. defensible
  5. secured
  6. protected
  7. secure
Adjective
  • The safe, defendable choice wasn’t necessarily the right one though.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Definition of defendable
Adjective
  • The Fort Worth Independence Day shooting that killed one near Lake Arlington is being investigated as a justifiable homicide, according to a police report.
    — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026
  • Police are investigating the incident as a justifiable homicide, according to the release.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026
Definition of justifiable
Adjective
  • Rather than flying directly over heavily defended targets, bombers carrying the AGM-181A are expected to launch the missile from long distances outside the engagement range of sophisticated enemy air defenses.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026
  • Every additional defended point becomes a resource allocation problem for Moscow.
    — David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of defended
Adjective
  • An acquirer can build a defensible model of next year's revenue from this year's contract base plus a reasonable assumption about new business.
    — Gustaf Lundberg Toresson, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • The family deciding what to put on the table tonight does not, and there is no defensible reason for that.
    — Mike Snider, USA Today, 19 July 2026
Definition of defensible
Adjective
  • The project got a huge boost in 2022, when Bill Witte and his wife Keiko Sakamoto contributed $4 million toward its construction and, with that, secured naming rights for the facility.
    — Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 10 July 2026
  • Earlier this year, Germany’s RTL, the country’s leading commercial broadcaster, secured approval to acquire Comcast’s German pay-TV business, Sky Deutschland.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026
Definition of secured
Adjective
  • For example, Paris has an aesthetic aversion to window units and rooftop HVAC systems, which helps explain why installing air-conditioning typically requires special permission from authorities, especially in protected or historic areas.
    — Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
  • Most of them encrypted files in non-protected folders, anywhere from a handful to 24,000.
    — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 25 June 2026
Definition of protected
Adjective
  • DroiClaw aims to create a secure, controllable, and observable AI agent ecosystem by giving users greater oversight of how agents operate.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 23 July 2026
  • Vibe coding is ideal for rapid first drafts, but human judgment, customer insight, and robust security measures are essential to evolve a prototype into a viable, secure business.
    — Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of secure

Browse Nearby Words

ten
tenable
tenacious
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Cite this Entry

“Tenable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tenable. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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