tenuous
Weak and unconvincing
Tenuous describes something thin, weak, or insubstantial.
A tenuous thread is fine and easily broken; a tenuous argument lacks solid support.
The word often signals precariousness: His grasp on reality grew increasingly tenuous.
A tenuous connection between two things is slight or doubtful: The evidence linking him to the crime was tenuous at best.
Easily broken or damaged
- fineAcceptable in quality
- wispyThin and insubstantial
- gossamerFilmy, delicate material
- diaphanousDelicately translucent
ethereal · filmy · gauzy · sheer · translucent · airy · featherlight · cobwebby
Weak and easily damaged
- weakLacking power or force
- fragileEasily broken or damaged
- threadbareWorn until transparent
- sketchyIncomplete or suspicious
dubious · questionable · shaky · loose · insubstantial · unsubstantial · gossamer · slender
Minor or thin
pale · imperceptible · elusive · fleeting · evanescent · ephemeral · transient · shadowy
Dangerously insecure
- unstableProne to sudden change
- insecureLacking self-assurance
- doubtfulUncertain of truth
- speculativeBased on conjecture
tentative · unconfirmed · indefinite · iffy · questionable · ambiguous · undecided · unsettled
fragile
Easily broken or damaged
diaphanous · ethereal · filmy · gauzy · sheer · translucent · airy · featherlight · cobwebby · insubstantial
flimsy
Weak and easily damaged
- weakLacking power or force
- fragileEasily broken or damaged
- threadbareWorn until transparent
sketchy · dubious · questionable · shaky · loose · insubstantial · unsubstantial · gossamer · slender · thin
slight
Minor or thin
dim · pale · imperceptible · elusive · fleeting · evanescent · ephemeral · transient · shadowy · intangible
precarious
Dangerously insecure
speculative · tentative · unconfirmed · indefinite · iffy · questionable · ambiguous · undecided · unsettled · unpredictable
- Precariousnessprecarious, unstable, teetering, tottering, wobbly
- Danger Levelsdanger, high risk, high-risk, low risk, critical
- skinnythin, slim, slender, lean, skinny
- stabilitystable, steady, firmness, unstable, equilibrium
- critique termscritique, flaw, weakness, criticism, objection
- densitydense, air density, specific gravity, water density, high density
tenuousstrong
Having great physical power
solid · robust · firm · sturdy · substantial
tenuousthick
Having great depth
substantial · dense · massive · hefty · considerable
tenuousstable
Secure and unchanging
secure · established · entrenched · permanent · reliable