tenacious

adjective

te·​na·​cious tə-ˈnā-shəs 

1

a

: not easily pulled apart : cohesive

a tenacious metal

b

: tending to adhere or cling especially to another substance

tenacious burs

2

a

: persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired

a tenacious advocate of civil rights

tenacious negotiators

b

: retentive

a tenacious memory

tenaciously adverb

tenaciousness noun

Did you know?

Tenacious Has Latin Roots

For the more than 400 years that tenacious has been a part of the English language, it has adhered closely to its Latin antecedent: tenāx, an adjective meaning "holding fast," "clinging," or "persistent." Almost from the first, tenacious could suggest either literal adhesion or figurative stick-to-itiveness. Sandburs are tenacious, and so are athletes who don't let defeat get them down. We use tenacious of a good memory, too—one that has a better than average capacity to hold information. But you can also have too much of a good thing: the addition in Latin of the prefix per- ("thoroughly") to tenāx led to the English word pertinacious, meaning "perversely persistent." You might use pertinacious for the likes of rumors and spam calls, for example.

Synonyms

• dogged
• insistent
• patient
• persevering
• persistent
• pertinacious

Choose the Right Synonym for tenacious

strong, stout, sturdy, stalwart, tough, tenacious mean showing power to resist or to endure.

strong may imply power derived from muscular vigor, large size, structural soundness, intellectual or spiritual resources.

strong arms

the defense has a strong case

stout suggests an ability to endure stress, pain, or hard use without giving way.

stout hiking boots

sturdy implies strength derived from vigorous growth, determination of spirit, solidity of construction.

a sturdy table

people of sturdy independence

stalwart suggests an unshakable dependability.

stalwart environmentalists

tough implies great firmness and resiliency.

a tough political opponent

tenacious suggests strength in seizing, retaining, clinging to, or holding together.

tenacious farmers clinging to an age-old way of life

Examples of tenacious in a Sentence

But raw capitalism has also proved tenacious, evolving its own means of endlessly restimulating consumption … —Nicholas Fraser, Harper's, November 2003

This "Southern Operation" would seal off China from outside help, thus underwriting victory in Japan's frustrating four-year war against Chiang Kai-shek's feckless but tenacious Chinese army. —David M. Kennedy, Atlantic, March 1999

We have been nominally democratic for so long that we presume it is our natural condition rather than the product of persistent effort and tenacious responsibility. —Benjamin R. Barber, Harper's, November 1993

Some people claim that by election day this year François Mitterrand had very little power besides the power of his own tenacious, authoritative, and austere persona. —Jane Kramer, New Yorker, 30 May 1988

The company has a tenacious hold on the market.

a tenacious trainer, she adheres to her grueling swimming schedule no matter what

Recent Examples on the Web

Broadcast footage distributed after United’s win at the Etihad Stadium suggested that Ruben Amorim urged Martinez to make his decisive pass to the tenacious and precocious Ivorian once Amad’s run had been made. —Carl Anka, The Athletic, 19 Dec. 2024

Her exclusive interview with Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman sparked a national conversation about health and transparency in politics, cementing her reputation as a tenacious, fair, and incisive journalist. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2024

Matthew has always been intensely focused and tenacious in all of his endeavors, not only in his recording career, but in all of his artistic and intellectual pursuits. —Elizabeth Stanton, Fox News, 23 Oct. 2024

Tenacity Enhances Culture This approach results in a tenacious team that finds ways to win. —John Baldoni, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin tenāc-, tenāx "holding fast, clinging, persistent" (from tenēre "to hold, occupy, possess" + -āc-, deverbal suffix denoting habitual or successful performance) + -ious — more at tenant entry 1, audacious

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

tenacious

adjective

te·​na·​cious tə-ˈnā-shəs 

1

a

: not easily pulled apart

b

: tending to stick

2

a

: holding fast or tending to hold fast : persistent

people tenacious of their opinions

old ideas are tenacious

b

: retentive

a tenacious memory

tenaciously adverb

tenaciousness noun

Medical Definition

tenacious

adjective

te·​na·​cious tə-ˈnā-shəs 

: tending to adhere or cling especially to another substance : viscous

coughed up 150 cc. of thick tenacious sputum

—The Journal of the American Medical Association