Words / C2

t-uh-NAS-uh-tee/təˈnæsəti/

Tenacity is stubborn determination: the tenacity to finish, grip with tenacity. Tenacious is the adjective. Persistence is a close cousin; stubbornness can be stupid. Tenuous (already in the dictionary) is weak and thin — a cruel lookalike. Do not call a lucky sprint tenacity.

Meaning

The quality of not giving up; stubborn determination.

Examples

• “Tenacity, not a lucky first draft, finished the edition.”
• “Tenacity, not a gifted first page, got the index done in August.”
• “A tenacious stain is the adjective’s literal cousin; of people, it is grit.”

Good to know

Refusal to let go. Adjective: tenacious. Close: persistence. Mix-up: tenuous (thin, weak). Not a short burst of luck.

Near in meaning

persistence

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