Dictionary

tenable en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈten.ə.bəl/ (Australia)
• [ˈtɛn.ə.bl̩] (General-American, UK)
• (Southern-England) audio
• [ˈten.ə.bl̩] (Australia)
• /ˈtɛn.ə.bəl/ (General-American, UK)

Etymology

From the French tenable, from tenir (“to hold”); compare tenible.

Meanings

1. (of a theory, qualifier:argument, usually) capable of being maintained or justified; well-founded
   • Back in the 1800s, many did not consider Darwin's theory of evolution to be tenable at all.
   • Fitting into a tenable social position among other people requires not only the ability to simultaneously assess the nature of relationships with each person individually but also the ability to comprehend the indirect relational consequences of actions for connected relationships. 1998, Luanna H. Meyer, Making Friends: The Influences of Culture and Development, page 391:
   • In short, it is not a tenable position in our tight-knit community, or in a pluralistic democracy, to ask for a kinder space and to be unkind towards others. 2017 February 8, Maxwell Bevilacqua, “Op-Ed: A kinder space in the ivory tower”, in The Tufts Daily:
   • Modern war rests on industry, and its evolution has all but abolished the "non-combatant," emptied the old idea of "innocent" trade of meaning, and made even of neutrality a barely tenable status. 1919, Henry Noel Brailsford, The Covenant of Peace: An Essay on the League of Nations, page 25:
2. Capable of being defended against assault or attack; defensible
   • The island of Melos undoubtedly fell within his general conceptions of tenable empire for Athens. 1850, George Grote, A History of Greece; from the Earliest Period to the Close of the Generation Contemporary with Alexander the Great, volume 8:
3. (formal) Fit for habitation, similar, or related use.
   • Protecting or assisting occupant evacuation and safety by maintaining tenable building spaces and exit paths 1997, Consulting-specifying Engineer, volumes 21-22, page 220:
   • In February, 1679, he was admitted "a planter" of the town and a home lot was granted him "on condition that it should have a tenable house built upon it within two years. 1679, Roberta Elizabeth Foote, The ancestors and descendants of Theodore Munroe Foote, published 1969, page 14:
   • They made a day of straightening the leaning stable on its foundations and staying its framework, so that with new roof and sheathing, it would be a tenable building for many years to come. 1923, Gene Stratton-Porter, The White Flag, page 387:

Forms

Antonyms

untenable · intenable

Deriveds

tenably · tenableness

Synonyms

defensible

Translations (23)

bg удържим (of a defensive structure: capable of being defended) · cs udržitelný (of a defensive structure: capable of being defended) · es defendible (of a defensive structure: capable of being defended) · fi puolustettava (of a defensive structure: capable of being defended) · nl houdbaar (of a theory, argument etc: capable of being maintained or justified; well-founded) · cs udržitelný (of a theory, argument etc: capable of being maintained or justified; well-founded) · es sostenible (of a theory, argument etc: capable of being maintained or justified; well-founded) · nn haldbar (of a theory, argument etc: capable of being maintained or justified; well-founded) · ru разу́мный (of a theory, argument etc: capable of being maintained or justified; well-founded) · fi perusteltava (of a theory, argument etc: capable of being maintained or justified; well-founded) · da holdbar (of a theory, argument etc: capable of being maintained or justified; well-founded) · tr savunulabilir (of a defensive structure: capable of being defended) · cs obhajitelný (of a theory, argument etc: capable of being maintained or justified; well-founded) · de haltbar (of a theory, argument etc: capable of being maintained or justified; well-founded) · bg устойчив (of a defensive structure: capable of being defended) · bg защитим (of a theory, argument etc: capable of being maintained or justified; well-founded) · fi uskottava (of a theory, argument etc: capable of being maintained or justified; well-founded) · sv hållbar (of a theory, argument etc: capable of being maintained or justified; well-founded) · fi kestävä (of a defensive structure: capable of being defended) · de verteidigungsfähig (of a defensive structure: capable of being defended) · fi kestävä (of a theory, argument etc: capable of being maintained or justified; well-founded) · fi pätevä (of a theory, argument etc: capable of being maintained or justified; well-founded) · nb holdbar (of a theory, argument etc: capable of being maintained or justified; well-founded)