Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Extremely persistent in adhering to or doing something; stubborn or relentless.
  • adjective Characterized by extreme persistence; relentless or enduring.
  • adjective Holding together firmly; cohesive.
  • adjective Clinging to another object or surface; adhesive.
  • adjective Tending to retain; retentive.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Holding fast, or inclined to hold fast; inclined to retain what is in possession: with of before the thing held; hence, stubborn; obstinate.
  • Retentive; apt to retain long what is committed to it: said of the memory.
  • Niggardly; close-fisted.
  • Apt to adhere to another substance; adhesive, as ropy, glutinous, or viscous matter; sticky; viscid: as, few substances are so tenacious as tar.
  • Tough; having great cohesive force between its particles, so that they resist any effort to pull or force them asunder: as, steel is the most tenacious of all known substances.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Holding fast, or inclined to hold fast; inclined to retain what is in possession.
  • adjective Apt to retain; retentive.
  • adjective Having parts apt to adhere to each other; cohesive; tough.
  • adjective Apt to adhere to another substance; glutinous; viscous; sticking; adhesive.
  • adjective Niggardly; closefisted; miserly.
  • adjective Holding stoutly to one's opinion or purpose; obstinate; stubborn.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective clinging to an object or surface; adhesive
  • adjective unwilling to yield or give up; dogged
  • adjective holding together; cohesive
  • adjective having a good memory; retentive

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective good at remembering
  • adjective stubbornly unyielding
  • adjective sticking together

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Latin tenāx, tenāc-, holding fast, from tenēre, to hold; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

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

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Examples

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  • Only one thing will conquer our fears: tenacious faith in God’s presence, protection, power, and promises. ODB July 19, 2011. (tenacious = teguh, ulet)

    July 19, 2011

  • محکم

    سر سخت

    چسبنده

    November 28, 2012

  • stubbornly unyielding

    Even the most tenacious advocates for gun ownership must admit some of the dangers that firearms present

    October 19, 2016

  • Even the most tenacious advocates for gun ownership must admit some of the dangers that firearms present

    October 29, 2017