tenuously
By a thread
Tenuously means in a weak, thin, or insubstantial way.
Something tenuously connected has only a slight or fragile link: The theory is only tenuously supported by the evidence.
The word often signals that a connection or claim is stretched thin and might not hold up under scrutiny: He was tenuously related to the royal family through a distant cousin.
Without being tight
- distantlyIn a far-off manner
- tangentiallyIn a loosely related way
- peripherallyIn a marginal way
- remotelyFrom a distance
indirectly · barely · marginally · slightly · vaguely · nominally · superficially · hardly
Weak and easily damaged
- insubstantialLacking physical or material substance
- feebleWeak and ineffective
- frailWeak and breakable
- thinSmall in diameter
slight · meager · scant · sparse · faint · wispy · gossamer · threadlike
Easily broken or damaged
- unstableProne to sudden change
- shakyTrembling or unstable
- wobblyTending to teeter
- unsteadyLacking balance or stability
rickety · insecure · perilous · hanging by a thread · delicate · vulnerable · tottering · faltering
Pulled to lengthen
- overextendedBeyond sustainable capacity
- taxedHad levy imposed
- testedExamined for quality
- pressuredUrged with insistence
stressed · tight · forced · labored · awkward · uneasy · fraught · difficult
Of uncertain validity
- doubtfulUncertain of truth
- unconvincingNot able to persuade
- speculativeBased on conjecture
- unsubstantiatedWithout supporting evidence
shaky · weak · implausible · far-fetched · iffy · debatable · contestable · unsupported
loosely
Without being tight
- distantlyIn a far-off manner
- tangentiallyIn a loosely related way
- peripherallyIn a marginal way
remotely · indirectly · barely · marginally · slightly · vaguely · nominally · superficially · hardly · scarcely
flimsy
Weak and easily damaged
- insubstantialLacking physical or material substance
- feebleWeak and ineffective
- frailWeak and breakable
thin · slight · meager · scant · sparse · faint · wispy · gossamer · threadlike · negligible
fragile
Easily broken or damaged
unsteady · rickety · insecure · perilous · hanging by a thread · delicate · vulnerable · tottering · faltering · wavering
stretched
Pulled to lengthen
- overextendedBeyond sustainable capacity
- taxedHad levy imposed
- testedExamined for quality
pressured · stressed · tight · forced · labored · awkward · uneasy · fraught · difficult · troubled
questionable
Of uncertain validity
- doubtfulUncertain of truth
- unconvincingNot able to persuade
- speculativeBased on conjecture
unsubstantiated · shaky · weak · implausible · far-fetched · iffy · debatable · contestable · unsupported · unfounded
tenuouslyincontrovertibly
Beyond all argument
conclusively · definitively · undeniably · solidly · demonstrably