Gloss · Words · Tenacious

tenacious

təˈneɪʃəsadjective

What does tenacious mean?

Holding on tight and not giving up.

Tenacious, six ways

PlainHolding on tight and not giving up.
ADHDWon’t let go. Keeps going. Stubborn, in a good way.
Gen ZDoes not quit. Twelve rejections, thirteenth application.
MetaphorIvy on a wall: pull it off and it has already grown back.
FormalTending to keep a firm hold of something; persistent, determined.
Like I’m 5Someone who holds on and keeps trying, no matter what. That’s tenacious.

How to pronounce tenacious

tuh-NAY-shus/təˈneɪʃəs/

Tenacious in a sentence

A tenacious reporter finally got the story.
A tenacious toddler won’t let go of the remote.
Ivy is tenacious on old brick.

Synonyms for tenacious

persistentKeeps going, plainer.
determinedResolved.
stubbornWon’t change; often a complaint.

Where tenacious comes from

Latin. Tenax, holding fast, from tenere, to hold.

Good to know

Tenacious is admiring; stubborn usually isn’t. The noun is tenacity.

Tenacious meaning, on a Gloss card: Holding on tight and not giving up.

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Words like tenacious

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In: Words for people · SAT words · Words that make you sound smart · Latin and Greek roots