Synonyms of tenuous
18 similar words
Another word for tenuous is flimsy. Other synonyms of tenuous are gossamer, immaterial, insubstantial, ethereal and frangible.
Synonyms and similar words for tenuous
adjectiveThin in substance or consistency.
- delicate
- gossamerTenuous, light, filmy or delicate.
- breakable
- tender
- flimsyLikely to bend or break under pressure; easily damaged; frail, unsubstantial.
- fragile
- frail
- frailsomeCharacterised or marked by frailness.
- frangibleAble to be broken; breakable, fragile.
- slim ScotlandBad, of questionable quality; not strongly built, flimsy.
adjectiveInsubstantial.
- etherealConsisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy, as form...
- airy
- aeryAerial; ethereal; incorporeal; visionary.
- diaphanous formal
- immaterialHaving no matter or substance; incorporeal.
- insubstantialLacking substance; not real or strong.
- unreal
- unsubstantial archaicInsubstantial.
Meaning of tenuous
- adjective Thin in substance or consistency.
- adjective Insubstantial.
- adjective Precarious, dependent upon unreliable things.
tenuous in other languages
Questions about synonyms of tenuous
- What is another word for tenuous?
- Tenuous has 18 synonyms on Word.ws, such as flimsy, gossamer, immaterial, insubstantial, ethereal and frangible.
- What does tenuous mean?
- Tenuous means thin in substance or consistency.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: tenuous (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of tenuous.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/tenuous. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.