Tenuous: meaning in English

adjective

Feeling uncertain about something.

Usage examples:

He looked doubtful, but gave a nod

adjective

Uncertain or unlikely

Usage examples:

[ + (that) clause ] it was doubtful (that) the money would ever be found., she gave me a long, doub…

adjective

Used to describe debts or accounts that are unlikely to be paid

Usage examples:

The company has established an allowance for doubtful accounts based on the credit risk of specific…

adjective

Hesitating or doubting.

Usage examples:

I was rather dubious about the whole idea

adjective

Probably not true or not completely true; doubtful

Usage examples:

The team had the dubious distinction of ranking 31st in the league., a dubious character

adjective

Insubstantial and easily damaged.

Usage examples:

A flimsy barrier

noun

A document, especially a copy, made on very thin paper.

Usage examples:

Credit-card flimsies

adjective

(of material) very thin, or (of a structure or object) badly made and weak, and therefore easily broken or destroyed

Usage examples:

A flimsy dress, a flimsy building, they convicted the defendant on very flimsy evidence.

adjective

(of an object) easily broken or damaged.

Usage examples:

Fragile items such as glass and china

adjective

Easily damaged, broken, or harmed

Usage examples:

A fragile piece of metal, their argument showed us just how fragile the teammate relationship can b…

adjective

Easily harmed, damaged, or broken

Usage examples:

The fragile economy is under the pressure of floods at home and rising oil prices abroad., the chan…

adjective

Covered by a haze.

Usage examples:

It was a beautiful day but quite hazy

adjective

Lasting for an unknown or unstated length of time.

Usage examples:

They may face indefinite detention

adjective

Not exact or not clear; without clear limits

Usage examples:

It was a wonderful opportunity, but it meant leaving family and friends for an indefinite period, p…

adjective

Not exactly known, established, or defined.

Usage examples:

The carpet is an indeterminate dull shade

adjective

Not clearly determined or established

Usage examples:

Juvenile criminals are sometimes sentenced to indeterminate prison terms rather than a fixed length…

adjective

Lacking strength and solidity.

Usage examples:

The huts are relatively few and insubstantial

adjective

Of little value or importance, or not being strong, solid, or large

Usage examples:

He was popular during the early part of the 20th century, but today his work seems dated and insubs…

adjective

In the form of a cloud or haze; hazy.

Usage examples:

A giant nebulous glow

adjective

(esp. of ideas) unclear and lacking form; vague

Usage examples:

A nebulous concept

adjective

So small or unimportant as to be not worth considering; insignificant.

Usage examples:

He said that the risks were negligible

adjective

Too slight or small in amount to be important

Usage examples:

The effect on sales was negligible.

adjective

Too small in amount or degree to be of importance

Usage examples:

The interest received from these accounts is negligible., negligible effect/impact the rise in the …

adjective

Doubtful as regards truth or validity.

Usage examples:

It is questionable whether any of these exceptions is genuine

adjective

Shaking or trembling.

Usage examples:

She managed a shaky laugh

adjective

Feeling upset

Usage examples:

This was my fourth time in a plane, but i still felt shaky., it was a shaky marriage from the start…

adjective

Not in good condition or likely to fail

Usage examples:

The government is taking these steps to try to improve the country's shaky economy., too many mortg…

adjective

Not thorough or detailed.

Usage examples:

The information they had was sketchy

adjective

Not detailed or not complete

Usage examples:

Officials provided only sketchy details of the trip.

adjective

Small in degree; inconsiderable.

Usage examples:

A slight increase

verb

Insult (someone) by treating or speaking of them without proper respect or attention.

Usage examples:

He was desperate not to slight a guest

noun

An insult caused by a failure to show someone proper respect or attention.

Usage examples:

An unintended slight can create grudges

verb

Have an idea or impression of the existence, presence, or truth of (something) without certain proof.

Usage examples:

If you suspect a gas leak, do not turn on an electric light

noun

A person thought to be guilty of a crime or offence.

Usage examples:

The police have arrested a suspect

adjective

Not to be relied on or trusted; possibly dangerous or false.

Usage examples:

A suspect package was found on the platform

adjective

Not specific; vague.

Usage examples:

He was unspecific about his relationship with marian

adjective

Not clear or exact, or not relating to one particular thing

Usage examples:

Diagnosis is difficult because the signs and symptoms are unspecific., he made vague and unspecific…

adjective

Of uncertain, indefinite, or unclear character or meaning.

Usage examples:

Many patients suffer vague symptoms

adjective

Not clearly stated, described, or explained, or not clearly seen or felt

Usage examples:

She had a vague feeling that something had gone terribly wrong., i have only a vague memory of the …

adjective

Lacking the power to perform physically demanding tasks; having little physical strength or energy.

Usage examples:

She was recovering from flu, and was very weak

adjective

Lacking strength or energy, or likely to stop working or break

Usage examples:

After having been so sick, it’s not surprising you still feel weak., that old chair is very weak an…

adjective

Too low or not powerful enough to be successful or effective

Usage examples:

Weak growth/market share/results there was unexpectedly weak growth in corporate output in may., we…