tenuous

adjective ten·u·ous \ˈten-yə-wəs, -yü-əs\

: not certain, definite, or strong : flimsy, weak, or uncertain

: very thin

Full Definition of TENUOUS

: not dense : rare <a tenuous fluid>

: not thick : slender <a tenuous rope>

a : having little substance or strength : flimsy, weak <tenuous influences>

b : shaky 2a <tenuous reasons>

— ten·u·ous·ly adverb

— ten·u·ous·ness noun

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Examples of TENUOUS

What is also true is that they, and I, were lucky, through genes or fate, to surge through the maelstrom of dashed hope and denied opportunity to grasp a tenuous piece of the American Dream. —Anthony Walton, Lure and Loathing, 1993
After the end of the crusading period, however relations between East and West had grown tenuous … —Albert Hourani, Islam in European Thought, 1991
The authors follow researchers as they use the slimmest leads and the most tenuous connections to track the genes for Huntington's disease, muscular dystrophy, schizophrenia and a host of other physical and mental miseries. —Natalie Angier, New York Times Book Review, 12 Aug. 1990
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Origin of TENUOUS

Latin tenuis thin, slight, tenuous — more at thin

First Known Use: 1597

Synonym Discussion of TENUOUS

thin, slender, slim, slight, tenuous mean not thick, broad, abundant, or dense. thin implies comparatively little extension between surfaces or in diameter, or it may imply lack of substance, richness, or abundance <thin wire> <a thin soup>. slender implies leanness or spareness often with grace and good proportion <the slender legs of a Sheraton chair>. slim applies to slenderness that suggests fragility or scantiness <a slim volume of poetry> <a slim chance>. slight implies smallness as well as thinness <a slight build>. tenuous implies extreme thinness, sheerness, or lack of substance and firmness <a tenuous thread>.