Definitions for tenacious
təˈneɪ ʃəstena·cious

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. retentive, recollective, long, tenaciousadjective

   good at remembering

   "a retentive mind"; "tenacious memory"

2. dogged, dour, persistent, pertinacious, tenacious, unyieldingadjective

   stubbornly unyielding

   "dogged persistence"; "dour determination"; "the most vocal and pertinacious of all the critics"; "a mind not gifted to discover truth but tenacious to hold it"- T.S.Eliot; "men tenacious of opinion"

3. coherent, tenaciousadjective

   sticking together

   "two coherent sheets"; "tenacious burrs"

WiktionaryRate this definition:4.0 / 2 votes

1. tenaciousadjective

   clinging to an object or surface; adhesive

2. tenaciousadjective

   unwilling to yield or give up; dogged

3. tenaciousadjective

   holding together; cohesive

4. tenaciousadjective

   having a good memory; retentive

5. Etymology: From tenax, from tenere.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Tenaciousadjective

   Etymology: tenax, Lat.

   1. Grasping hard; inclined to hold fast; not willing to let go, with of before the thing held.

   A resolute tenacious adherence to well chosen principles, makes the face of a governor shine in the eyes of those that see his actions. South.

   Griping, and still tenacious of thy hold,
   Wou’d’st thou the Grecian chiefs, though largely soul’d,
   Shou’d give the prises they had gain’d. Dryden.

   You reign absolute over the hearts of a stubborn and freeborn people, tenacious to madness of their liberty. Dryden.

   True love’s a miser; so tenacious grown,
   He weighs to the least grain of what’s his own. Dryden.

   Men are tenacious of the opinions that first possess them. John Locke.

   He is tenacious of his own property, and ready to invade that of others. Arbuthnot.

   2. Retentive.

   The memory in some is very tenacious; but yet there seems to be a constant decay of all our ideas, even of those which are struck deepest, and in minds the most retentive. John Locke.

   3. [ Tenace, French.] Having parts disposed to adhere to each other; cohesive.

   Three equal round vessels filled, the one with water, the other with oil, the third with molten pitch, and the liquors stirred alike to give them a vortical motion; the pitch by its tenacity will lose its motion quickly, the oil being less tenacious will keep it longer, and the water being less tenacious will keep it longest, but yet will lose it in a short time. Newt.

   4.Niggardly; close-fisted; meanly parcimonious. Robert Ainsworth

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. tenacious

   Tenacious refers to a person, thing, or action that is determined, persistent, or relentless in maintaining or adhering to something. It can also describe something that holds together firmly, is strong or marked by a firm grip or high adhesive quality.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Tenaciousadjective

   holding fast, or inclined to hold fast; inclined to retain what is in possession; as, men tenacious of their just rights

2. Tenaciousadjective

   apt to retain; retentive; as, a tenacious memory

3. Tenaciousadjective

   having parts apt to adhere to each other; cohesive; tough; as, steel is a tenacious metal; tar is more tenacious than oil

4. Tenaciousadjective

   apt to adhere to another substance; glutinous; viscous; sticking; adhesive

5. Tenaciousadjective

   niggardly; closefisted; miserly

6. Tenaciousadjective

   holding stoutly to one's opinion or purpose; obstinate; stubborn

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Tenacious

   tē-nā′shus, adj. retaining or holding fast: apt to stick: stubborn.—adv. Tenā′ciously.—ns. Tenā′ciousness, Tenac′ity, quality of being tenacious: the quality of bodies which makes them stick to others. [L. tenax—tenēre.]

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce tenacious?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say tenacious in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of tenacious in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of tenacious in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of tenacious in a Sentence

1. Bruce D. Porter:

   Throughout the history of the United States, war has been the primary impetus behind the growth and development of the central state. It has been the lever by which presidents and other national officials have bolstered the power of the state in the face of tenacious popular resistance.

2. Arthur Schopenhauer:

   The memory should be specially taxed in youth, since it is then that it is strongest and most tenacious. But in choosing the things that should be committed to memory the utmost care and forethought must be exercised as lessons well learnt in youth are never forgotten.

3. Pascal Daniel:

   They can be quite tenacious when they are in a pack.

4. Jeh Johnson:

   The cyber threat to our country is going to get worse before it gets better, bad cyber actors — whether they’re nation states, cyber criminals, hacktivists, those who engage in ransomware — are increasingly aggressive, tenacious and ingenious.

5. RAS CARDO REGGAE:

   Most men act real stupid trying to restrain the emotions of an emotionally strong and tenacious woman. They often find themselves in an -emotional quick sand- the more they wiggle, the deeper they sink-after someone dies of course! what stupidity!

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=tenacious
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Tenacious
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=tenacious
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenacious
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=tenacious
7. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=tenacious