tenacity

C2 Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /təˈnæsəti/ UK /təˈnæs.ɪ.ti/ See IPA manual

Freq #23901

Meanings

1

noun
The quality of being determined and refusing to give up.

Her tenacity finally won her the championship after years of trying.
2

noun
The quality of holding firmly together or sticking to something.

The glue's tenacity meant the joint never came apart.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the quality of being... determination persistency perseverance stubbornness tenaciousness

2 noun · the quality of holding... adhesivenessviscosity

More cohesiveness

Opposites

brittleness fragility mobility

Word family

Related forms tenacious tenaciously

Etymology

From tenac(ious) + -ity, from Middle French ténacité, from Latin tenācitās.

ténacité Middle French tenācitās Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# tenacity

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /təˈnæsəti/
**IPA (UK):** /təˈnæs.ɪ.ti/
**Frequency rank:** 23901

## Meanings
1. The quality of being determined and refusing to give up.
2. The quality of holding firmly together or sticking to something.

## Examples
- Her tenacity finally won her the championship after years of trying.
- The glue's tenacity meant the joint never came apart.

## Synonyms
- cohesiveness

## Antonyms
- brittleness
- fragility
- mobility

## Related Forms
- tenacious
- tenaciously

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: ténacité
- Root: tenācitās

## Etymology
From tenac(ious) + -ity, from Middle French ténacité, from Latin tenācitās.

## AI Etymology
Tenacity is from tenac(ious) + -ity, from Middle French ténacité, from Latin tenācitās. In present-day use, it can mean the quality of being determined and refusing to give up, or the quality of holding firmly together or sticking to something. Related vocabulary includes tenacious and tenaciously.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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