Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tenacious

/təˈneɪʃəs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.04 in modern English

Syllables
tena-cious
IPA
/təˈneɪʃəs/
11
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Clinging to an object or surface; adhesive.

adj

Unwilling to yield or give up; dogged.

adj

Holding together; cohesive.

adj

Having a good memory; retentive.

Example Sentences

Etymology

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

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /təˈneɪʃəs/
  • British English: /təˈneɪʃəs/

Inflected Forms

more tenacious (comparative) most tenacious (superlative)

Derived Forms

overtenacious untenacious

Frequently Paired Words

tenaciously tenaciousness tenacity

Synonyms

clingsome sticky pigheaded steadfast coherent elephantlike memorious retentive recollective long

Rhymes With

gracious spacious audacious ignatius herbaceous voracious flirtatious vivacious ostentatious fallacious efficacious salacious

Questions

How do you pronounce tenacious?
The recorded pronunciation is /təˈneɪʃəs/.
What does tenacious mean?
Clinging to an object or surface; adhesive.
Where does tenacious come from?
From Latin tenāx (“holding fast, clinging”), from tenēre (“to hold”), + -ious.

How to pronounce tenacious

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “tenacious”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/təˈneɪʃəs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “tenacious”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “tenacious” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.