Synonyms of tenuous

tenuous

adjective

as in fragile

lacking strength, permanence, or resilience

The countries formed a tenuous political alliance.

The moon has a tenuous atmosphere that frequently fluctuates in thickness.

Related Words

• fragile
• slight
• delicate
• flimsy
• weak
• shaky
• insubstantial
• unsubstantial
• frail
• fine
• breakable
• uncertain
• dubious
• soft
• feeble
• problematic
• questionable
• frangible
• doubtful
• suspicious
• eggshell
• dainty
• suspect
• gossamer
• shady
• dodgy
• dubitable
• doubtable

Dissimilar Words

• substantial
• solid
• hard
• rigid
• unyielding
• firm
• elastic
• flexible
• resilient
• strong
• stretch
• rubbery
• springy
• supple
• tough
• sturdy
• unbreakable
• rubberlike
• stretchable
• infrangible
• nonbreakable

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective tenuous contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of tenuous are slender, slight, slim, and thin. While all these words mean "not thick, broad, abundant, or dense," tenuous implies extreme thinness, sheerness, or lack of substance and firmness.

a tenuous thread

Where would slender be a reasonable alternative to tenuous?

The meanings of slender and tenuous largely overlap; however, slender implies leanness or spareness often with grace and good proportion.

the slender legs of a Sheraton chair

When could slight be used to replace tenuous?

While in some cases nearly identical to tenuous, slight implies smallness as well as thinness.

a slight build

When is slim a more appropriate choice than tenuous?

The synonyms slim and tenuous are sometimes interchangeable, but slim applies to slenderness that suggests fragility or scantiness.

a slim volume of poetry

a slim chance

In what contexts can thin take the place of tenuous?

The words thin and tenuous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, thin implies comparatively little extension between surfaces or in diameter, or it may imply lack of substance, richness, or abundance.

thin wire

a thin soup

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tenuous

The Longhorns went from a safe NCAA Tournament selection, sporting a four-game SEC win streak and a couple of upsets over ranked squads to tenuous status on the bubble and an early conference tournament loss. —American Statesman Sports Desk, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026

For farmers themselves, a short crop due to lack of fertilizer will magnify already tenuous profitability given high land costs, rising fuel prices and sharp competition from Brazil, where rapid expansion of corn production is doubling down on its world-leading soybean output. —Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026

Diaz-Canel did not acknowledge the country’s historically tenuous relationship with Cubans abroad, many who fled to Miami starting in the 1960s because of political persecution, property expropriation and economic instability after the Cuban revolution. —Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026

The discovery team came up with several interpretations for the structure, including debris from a galaxy collision, gas stripped from a high-velocity galaxy moving through the tenuous intergalactic medium, and more. —Phil Plait, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2026