tenuous

/ˈtɛnjəwəs/

/ˈtɛnjuɪs/

If something is tenuous it's thin, either literally or metaphorically. If you try to learn a complicated mathematical concept by cramming for 45 minutes, you will have a tenuous grasp of that concept, at best.

Tenuous comes from the Latin word tenuis, for thin, and is related to our word tender. Something can be physically tenuous, like a spiderweb or ice on a pond. We more often use it in a metaphorical sense, to talk about weak ideas. Tenuous arguments won't win any debate tournaments. Synonyms for tenuous, also used physically or metaphorically, are flimsy and shaky.

Definitions of tenuous

1. adjective

   lacking substance or significance
   “a tenuous argument”

   synonyms: flimsy, fragile, slight, thin

   insignificant, unimportant

   devoid of importance, meaning, or force
2. adjective

   affording no ease or reassurance
   synonyms: precarious, unstable

   uneasy

   lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance
3. adjective

   very thin in gauge or diameter
   “a tenuous thread”

   synonyms:

   thin

   of relatively small extent from one surface to the opposite or in cross section
4. adjective

   having thin consistency
   “a tenuous fluid”

   synonyms:

   thin

   relatively thin in consistency or low in density; not viscous