Dictionary

tenacity en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /təˈnæsəti/ (General-American)
• (US) audio
• /təˈnæs.ɪ.ti/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle French ténacité, from Latin tenācitās (whence -acity).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The quality or state of being tenacious, or persistence of purpose; tenaciousness.
   • — Our opponents may be younger, faster and less out of shape than we are, but we have something they’ll never have! — Tenure? — Tenacity! 2009, Jorge Cham, PHD Comics: Softball: younger and faster:
   • Like the Cuscus of the Moluccas, the Galeopithecus feeds chiefly on leaves, and possesses a very voluminous stomach and long convoluted intestines. The brain is very small, and the animal possesses such remarkable tenacity of life, that it is exceedingly difficult to kill it by any ordinary means. 1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume I, London: Macmillan and Co., page 211:
2. (countable, uncountable) The quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force, as distinguished from brittleness, fragility, mobility, etc.
3. (countable, uncountable) The effect of this attraction, cohesiveness.
4. (countable, uncountable) The quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies; adhesiveness, viscosity.
5. (countable, uncountable) The greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder, usually expressed with reference to a unit area of the cross section of the substance, as the number of pounds per square inch, or kilograms per square centimeter, necessary to produce rupture.

Forms

Antonyms

mobility (antonym(s) of “quality keeping bodies together”) · fragility (antonym(s) of “quality keeping bodies together”) · brittleness (antonym(s) of “quality keeping bodies together”)

Relateds

tenaciously · tenacious

Synonyms

adhesiveness (quality making bodies adhere) · retentiveness (state of being tenacious) · stubbornness (state of being tenacious) · persistency (state of being tenacious) · determination (state of being tenacious) · cohesiveness (quality keeping bodies together) · viscosity (quality making bodies adhere) · tenaciousness (state of being tenacious)

Translations (56)

ru кле́йкость (quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies) · la tenācitās (quality or state of being tenacious) · bg лепливост (quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies) · de Beharrlichkeit (quality or state of being tenacious) · pl zawziętość (quality or state of being tenacious) · id kegigihan (quality or state of being tenacious) · ru це́пкость (quality or state of being tenacious) · it tenacia (quality or state of being tenacious) · uz qaysarlik (quality or state of being tenacious) · uk упертість (quality or state of being tenacious) · ru упо́рство (quality or state of being tenacious) · bg издръжливост (quality or state of being tenacious) · uk наполегливість (quality or state of being tenacious) · ru предел прочности (greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder) · ro tenacitate (quality or state of being tenacious) · fr ténacité (quality or state of being tenacious) · pl spójność (quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force) · uk опір розриву (greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder) · ru про́чность на растяже́ние (greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder) · cmn 韧性 (quality or state of being tenacious) · uk липкість (quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies) · bg якост на опън (greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder) · cs výdrž (quality or state of being tenacious) · fi vetomurtolujuus (greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder) · pl upartość (quality or state of being tenacious) · pl wytrzymałość na rozciąganie (greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder) · tl matibay (quality or state of being tenacious) · pl zwartość (quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force) · ro adezivitate (quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force) · ga diongbháilteacht (quality or state of being tenacious) · el επιμονή (quality or state of being tenacious) · uk завзятість (quality or state of being tenacious) · ru свя́зность (quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force) · fi sinnikkyys (quality or state of being tenacious) · uk стійкість (quality or state of being tenacious) · ca tenacitat (quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force) · es tesón (quality or state of being tenacious) · de Zähigkeit (quality or state of being tenacious) · cs houževnatost (quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force) · pl lepkość (quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies) · uk цілеспрямованість (quality or state of being tenacious) · ca tenacitat (quality or state of being tenacious) · fi sitkeys (quality or state of being tenacious) · pl spoistość (quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force) · fi vetolujuus (greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder) · uk клейкість (quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies) · pt tenacidade (quality or state of being tenacious) · cs neústupnost (quality or state of being tenacious) · uk чіпкість (quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force) · fi sitkeys (quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force) · nl volhardendheid (quality or state of being tenacious) · ru вы́держка (quality or state of being tenacious) · cs houževnatost (quality or state of being tenacious) · id keuletan (quality or state of being tenacious) · pl wytrwałość (quality or state of being tenacious) · es tenacidad (quality or state of being tenacious)