Meaning & use
tenacious
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Meanings
adjectivecomparableapproving
Refusing to give up a goal or opinion, and continuing to push for it even when things become hard.
Grammar: Works before a noun or after a verb: a tenacious reporter, or she is tenacious.
Patterns
- be tenacious in something
- tenacious about something
The tenacious lawyer spent six years fighting for the families.
She was tenacious in chasing every lead, however small.
A tenacious defender, he never let the striker out of his sight.
adjectivecomparable
Holding or sticking firmly to something, so that it is hard to remove or break away.
Grammar: Describes a physical grip or a thing that stays put: a tenacious weed, a tenacious grip.
The tenacious ivy had worked its way into every crack of the wall.
He kept a tenacious hold on the rope as the boat rocked.
Tenacious stains like red wine need to be treated quickly.
adjectivecomparable
Staying strong or in the memory for a long time, as a belief, habit or recollection.
Grammar: Often used with abstract nouns: a tenacious myth, a tenacious memory.
The tenacious myth that we use only ten percent of our brains refuses to die.
She has a tenacious memory for faces.
Old habits can be remarkably tenacious.
Word forms
| comparative | more tenacious |
|---|---|
| superlative | most tenacious |
Common combinations
- tenacious grip
- The climber kept a tenacious grip on the ledge.
- tenacious fighter
- The old boxer remained a tenacious fighter to the end.
- tenacious pursuit
- Her tenacious pursuit of the truth cost her many friends.
- remarkably tenacious
- The disease proved remarkably tenacious against treatment.
- tenacious spirit
- The team's tenacious spirit carried them to the final.
Synonyms and how they differ
- persistent
- It is more neutral and can sound slightly irritating, while tenacious usually carries admiration for toughness.
- determined
- It focuses on the strength of purpose, whereas tenacious adds the idea of not letting go over a long stretch.
- stubborn
- It often suggests an unreasonable refusal to change, which tenacious does not.
- dogged
- It is a closer match but sounds a little more grim and plodding.
Opposites
Word family
- tenacity noun
- the quality of being tenacious
- tenaciously adverb
- in a determined, unyielding way
- tenaciousness noun
- another word for tenacity
Commonly confused: tenacious or tenable?
tenacious vs tenable
Tenable describes an argument or position that can be defended, and has nothing to do with persistence.
Practice
The scientist was ___ in her research, continuing for years despite repeated failures.
Choose one answer.
Tenacious means refusing to give up. Tentative means uncertain, tenuous means weak or thin, and neither fits the idea of persistence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tenacious”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.