tenacious
tenacious
Definition
te·na·cious (tə nā′s̸həs)
adjective
- holding firmly a tenacious grip
- that retains well; retentive a tenacious memory
- that holds together strongly; cohesive; tough a tenacious wood
- that clings; adhesive; sticky
- persistent; stubborn tenacious courage
Etymology: L tenax (gen. tenacis) < tenere, to hold: see tenant
te·na′·ciously adverb
te·na′·cious·ness noun
tenacious
Synonyms
tenacious
modif.
Adhesive
retentive, sticky, inseparable, waxy, resisting, gummy, coriaceous, viscous, viscid, glutinous; see also adhesive, tough 2.Persistent
determined, pertinacious, purposeful, resolute; see obstinate, resolute 2.
tenacious
Usage Examples
Preposition: of
- life: It is very tenacious of life - and easily transported alive in damp moss.
Modifies a noun
- loam: It is a stiff, tenacious loam, mixed with flint stones.
- midfielder: Steve is a tenacious midfielder who made his Tranmere debut in Brian Little's first league game in charge against Oldham in October 2003.
- killer: Routine is a tenacious killer of passion?a suspect in the deaths of over 1 million steamy romances.
- clay: The soil is chiefly a tenacious red clay and partly a gravelly loam.
- defense: Unfortunately Kenilworth turned the ball over and, despite tenacious defense from Oliver Wilson, scored.
- attitude: Strauss ' men halted a trot of four straight limited-overs series defeats with a tenacious attitude in the NatWest Series finale.
Modifying Another Word
- typically: Ulamek rode particularly well to deny Lindback another race victory, whilst a typically tenacious Gafurov kept Davidsson at bay.
- very: Trends especially the long term ones are usually very tenacious in their nature, taking several months in normal market conditions to flip.
- so: Why has the term ' High Renaissance ' proved so tenacious?
- remarkably: However, some old theories have proved remarkably tenacious.
- extremely: They are extremely tenacious, often chasing their prey to the end.
- not: But no one can say that Harriet is not tenacious.
Used with adjective complement
Browse dictionary entries near tenacious
- tenace
- tenable
- ten-strike
- ten-speed
- ten-
- ten-gallon hat
- Ten Commandments
- ten-cent store
- ten
- tempus fugit
