tenuousness
Lacking solid ground
Tenuousness is the quality of being tenuous—thin, weak, or lacking substance.
It describes connections, arguments, or evidence that seem fragile or easily broken: The tenuousness of their case became apparent under cross-examination.
The word often signals skepticism about whether something will hold up: Given the tenuousness of the ceasefire, few expected it to last.
Easily broken or damaged
- delicateEasily broken or harmed
- brittleLiable to shatter
- breakableCapable of shattering
- frangibleCapable of being broken
vulnerable · shatterable · crackable · perishable · crumbling · deteriorating · eroding · disintegrating
Passing very quickly
- ephemeralLasting very briefly
- transientTemporary, soon departing
- evanescentTending to vanish quickly
- momentaryLasting very briefly
passing · temporary · short-lived · impermanent · fading · vanishing · dissipating · evaporating
Weak and ineffective
- flimsyWeak and easily damaged
- frailWeak and breakable
- weakLacking power or force
- unconvincingNot able to persuade
insubstantial · slight · thin · meager · inadequate · insufficient · deficient · lacking
Prone to sudden change
- shakyTrembling or unstable
- unsteadyLacking balance or stability
- precariousDangerously insecure
- wobblyTending to teeter
tottering · insecure · hazardous · risky · perilous · dicey · touch-and-go · treacherous
fragile
Easily broken or damaged
frangible · vulnerable · shatterable · crackable · perishable · crumbling · deteriorating · eroding · disintegrating · fading
fleeting
Passing very quickly
- ephemeralLasting very briefly
- transientTemporary, soon departing
- evanescentTending to vanish quickly
momentary · passing · temporary · short-lived · impermanent · fading · vanishing · dissipating · evaporating · dissolving
feeble
Weak and ineffective
unconvincing · insubstantial · slight · thin · meager · inadequate · insufficient · deficient · lacking · wanting
unstable
Prone to sudden change
- shakyTrembling or unstable
- unsteadyLacking balance or stability
- precariousDangerously insecure
wobbly · tottering · insecure · hazardous · risky · perilous · dicey · touch-and-go · treacherous · exposed
nebulous
Unclear and formless
- hazyUnclear, indistinct
- indistinctUnclear, hard to perceive
- unclearNot easily understood
ambiguous · indefinite · imprecise · fuzzy · blurry · obscure · murky · cloudy · opaque · shadowy
- instabilityinstability, unsteadiness, shakiness, wobbliness, precariousness
- doubtdoubt, doubts, doubting, doubtful, skepticism
- weaknessesweakness, flaw, failing, defect, shortcoming
tenuousnesssolidity
Firmness of structure
firmness · substantiality · robustness · sturdiness · heftiness
tenuousnesscertainty
Total absence of doubt
security · soundness · validity · reliability · dependability
tenuousnessthickness
Depth of material
density · substantialness · corpulence · heaviness · bulkiness
tenuous, attenuated, attenuate, extenuate, extenuating, attenuation, tenuously, extenuation, attenuates