Tenacious TENA'CIOUS, a. [L. tenax, from teneo, to hold.] 1. Holding
fast, or inclined to hold fast; inclined to retain what is in possession;
as men tenacious of their just rights. Men are usually tenacious of their
opinions, as well as of their property. 2. Retentive; apt to retain
long what is committed to it; as a tenacious memory. 3. Adhesive; apt
to adhere to another substance; as oily, glutinous or viscous matter. Few
substances are to tenacious as tar. 4. Niggardly; close fisted.
tenacious
adj 1: good at remembering; "a retentive mind"; "tenacious
memory" [syn: retentive, recollective, long,
tenacious] [ant: forgetful, short, unretentive]
2: 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" [syn:
dogged, dour, persistent, pertinacious, tenacious,
unyielding]
3: sticking together; "two coherent sheets"; "tenacious burrs"
[syn: coherent, tenacious]
tenacious adjectiveEtymology: Latin tenac-, tenax tending to hold fast, from
tenēre to hold Date: 1607 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>
Synonyms:seestrong • tenaciouslyadverb
• tenaciousnessnoun
tenacious adj. 1 (often foll. by of) keeping a firm hold of property, principles, life, etc.; not readily relinquishing. 2 (of memory) retentive. 3 holding fast. 4 strongly
cohesive. 5 persistent, resolute. 6 adhesive, sticky. Derivatives: tenaciously adv. tenaciousness n. tenacity n. Etymology: L tenax -acis f. tenere hold
tenacious
1. If you are tenacious, you are very determined and do not give up easily.
He is regarded at the BBC as a tenacious and persistent interviewer.ADJ
• tenaciouslyIn spite of his illness, he clung tenaciously to his job.ADV: usu ADV after v
2. If you describe something such as an idea or belief as tenacious, you mean that it
has a strong influence on people and is difficult to change or remove.
...a remarkably tenacious belief that was to dominate future theories of military
strategy.= deep-seated
ADJ
Tenacious \Te*na"cious\, a. [L. tenax, -acis, from tenere to
hold. See Tenable, and cf. Tenace.]
1. Holding fast, or inclined to hold fast; inclined to retain
what is in possession; as, men tenacious of their just
rights.
2. Apt to retain; retentive; as, a tenacious memory.
3. Having parts apt to adhere to each other; cohesive; tough;
as, steel is a tenacious metal; tar is more tenacious than
oil. --Sir I. Newton.
4. Apt to adhere to another substance; glutinous; viscous;
sticking; adhesive. ``Female feet, too weak to struggle
with tenacious clay.'' --Cowper.
5. Niggardly; closefisted; miserly. --Ainsworth.
6. Holding stoutly to one's opinion or purpose; obstinate;
stubborn. -- Te*na"cious*ly, adv. -- Te*na"cious*ness,
n.
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