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Word a Day

tenacious

adjective · /təˈneɪʃəs/ · Level 4 · Expert

What does tenacious mean?

tenacious (adjective): unwilling to yield or give up; dogged.

Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

How do you pronounce tenacious?

/təˈneɪʃəs/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.

Where does tenacious come from?

From Latin tenāx (“holding fast, clinging”), from tenēre (“to hold”), + -ious.

Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Words related to tenacious

From Princeton WordNet 3.1.

Test yourself: do you know “tenacious”?

Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.

What does “tenacious” mean?

liable to sudden unpredictable change

Not quite: that's what erratic means.

inactive, sleeping, asleep, suspended

Not quite: that's what dormant means.

unwilling to yield or give up; dogged

Right! That's what “tenacious” means.

very busy with activity and confusion

Not quite: that's what hectic means.

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