Meanings
adjectivetenacious (comparative more tenacious, superlative most tenacious)
comparative more tenacious · superlative most tenacious
- Having a good memory; retentive.
Synonyms: elephantlike
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveClinging to an object or surface; adhesive.
Similar
adjectiveUnwilling to yield or give up; dogged.
Similar
adjectiveHolding together; cohesive.
Similar
adjectiveHaving a good memory; retentive.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivegood at remembering
Similar
adjectivestubbornly unyielding
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latintenāx“holding fast, clinging”
- Englishtenacious
From Latin tenāx (“holding fast, clinging”), from tenēre (“to hold”), + -ious.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian лепкав, упорит
- лепкав (lepkav)clinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- упорит (uporit)unwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Catalan tenaç
- tenaçunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Chinese Mandarin 頑強 /顽强
- 頑強 /顽强 (wánqiáng)unwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Czech neústupný, houževnatý
- neústupnýunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- houževnatýunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- vytrvalýunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- soudržnýholding together; cohesive
Danish stædig, hårdnakket
- stædigunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- hårdnakketunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- vedholdendeunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- ihærdigunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- urokkeligunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Dutch hardnekkig
- hardnekkigunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Esperanto tenaca, tenaca
- tenacaclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- tenacaunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Finnish tarttuva, tarrautuva
- tarttuvaclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- tarrautuvaclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- sitkeäunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- sinnikäsunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- itsepintainenunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- itsepäinenunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- sitkeäholding together; cohesive
- lujaholding together; cohesive
- hyvämuistinenhaving a good memory; retentive
French tenace
- tenaceunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
German fest haftend, festklebend
- fest haftendclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- festklebendclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- klebrigclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- hartnäckigunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- beharrlichunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- zähunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- zusammenhaftendholding together; cohesive
- gedächtnisstarkhaving a good memory; retentive
Greek πεισματάρης
- πεισματάρης (peismatáris)unwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Hebrew עיקש
- עיקש (ikésh)unwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Hungarian elszánt, kitartó
- elszántunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- kitartóunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- állhatatosunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- makacsunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- szívósunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Icelandic fastheldinn, þrár
- fastheldinnclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- þrárunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- þolgóðurunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- ötullunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- haldgóðurholding together; cohesive
- minnisgóðurhaving a good memory; retentive
Indonesian ngotot
- ngototunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Irish greamúsach
- greamúsachclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
Japanese 頑強な
- 頑強な (gankyō na)unwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Latin tenax, tenax
- tenaxclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- tenaxunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Māori rae pakari, urupū
- rae pakariunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- urupūunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- aumangeaunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- aumangeounwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Norwegian Bokmål hardnakket, urokkelig
- hardnakketunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- urokkeligunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Polish lepki, uparty
- lepkiclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- upartyunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- wytrwałyunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- zawziętyunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- spoistyholding together; cohesive
- spójnyholding together; cohesive
- zwartyholding together; cohesive
- trwałyhaving a good memory; retentive
Portuguese aderente, tenaz
- aderenteclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- tenazclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- tenazunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- teimosounwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- porfiadounwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Russian вя́зкий, ли́пкий
- вя́зкий (vjázkij)clinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- ли́пкий (lípkij)clinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- кле́йкий (kléjkij)clinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- упря́мый (uprjámyj)unwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- упо́рный (upórnyj)unwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- насто́йчивый (nastójčivyj)unwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- связующий (svjazujuščij)holding together; cohesive
- кре́пкий (krépkij)having a good memory; retentive
- це́пкий (cépkij)having a good memory; retentive
Spanish aferrado, tenaz
- aferradoclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- tenazunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- tesonerounwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Swedish fasthållande, fasthängande
- fasthållandeclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- fasthängandeclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- klibbigclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- segclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- fastclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- fastunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- orubbligunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- hårdnackadunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- ihärdigunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- seglivadunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- ståndaktigunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- segholding together; cohesive
Turkish yapışkan, sıkıca tutan
- yapışkanclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- sıkıca tutanclinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- inatçıunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- bildiğinden şaşmazunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- dik kafalıunwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Ukrainian чіпкий, липкий
- чіпкий (čipkyj)clinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- липкий (lypkyj)clinging to an object or surface; adhesive
- непоступливий (nepostuplyvyj)unwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- наполегливий (napolehlyvyj)unwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
- впертий (vpertyj)unwilling to yield from a point of view etc; dogged
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with tenacious
spaciousgraciousgaseouscretaceousherbaceousaudaciousefficaciousvoraciousvivaciousfallaciouscarbonaceoussebaceousvexatiousflirtatiouscurvaceousostentatioussalaciousrapaciouscapacioussagaciouspugnaciousloquaciousmendaciousungracious
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
tenacious. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenacious
MLA
“tenacious.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenacious. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tenacious,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenacious.
Source: tenacious on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.