tenacity

te·na·ci·ty
T1E1N1A1C3I1T1Y4
UK/təˈnæs.ɪ.ti/US/təˈnæsəti/

noun

The quality or state of being tenacious, or persistence of purpose; tenaciousness.

Less commonScrabble 13

Meanings

nountenacity (countable and uncountable, plural tenacities)

plural tenacities

  1. countableuncountableThe 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
    1 more example

    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

    Synonyms: tenaciousness, determination, persistency, retentiveness, stubbornness

  2. countableuncountableThe quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force, as distinguished from brittleness, fragility, mobility, etc.
  3. countableuncountableThe effect of this attraction, cohesiveness.
  4. countableuncountableThe quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies; adhesiveness, viscosity.

    Synonyms: adhesiveness, viscosity

  5. countableuncountablenatural sciencesThe 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.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe quality or state of being tenacious, or persistence of purpose; tenaciousness.

nounThe quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies; adhesiveness, viscosity.

quality keeping bodies together

antonym(s) of “quality keeping bodies together”

More synonyms by meaning

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latintenācitās
  2. Middle Frenchténacité
  3. Englishtenacity

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

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian издръжливост, лепливост
  • издръжливост (izdrăžlivost)quality or state of being tenacious
  • лепливост (leplivost)quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies
  • якост на опън (jakost na opăn)greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder
Catalan tenacitat, tenacitat
  • tenacitatquality or state of being tenacious
  • tenacitatquality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force
Chinese Mandarin 韧性
  • 韧性 (rènxìng)quality or state of being tenacious
Czech houževnatost, neústupnost
  • houževnatostquality or state of being tenacious
  • neústupnostquality or state of being tenacious
  • výdržquality or state of being tenacious
  • houževnatostquality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force
Dutch volhardendheid
  • volhardendheidquality or state of being tenacious
Finnish sitkeys, sinnikkyys
  • sitkeysquality or state of being tenacious
  • sinnikkyysquality or state of being tenacious
  • sitkeysquality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force
  • vetolujuusgreatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder
  • vetomurtolujuusgreatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder
French ténacité
  • ténacitéquality or state of being tenacious
German Zähigkeit, Beharrlichkeit
  • Zähigkeitquality or state of being tenacious
  • Beharrlichkeitquality or state of being tenacious
Greek επιμονή
  • επιμονή (epimoní)quality or state of being tenacious
Indonesian keuletan, kegigihan
  • keuletanquality or state of being tenacious
  • kegigihanquality or state of being tenacious
Irish diongbháilteacht
  • diongbháilteachtquality or state of being tenacious
Italian tenacia
  • tenaciaquality or state of being tenacious
Latin tenācitās
  • tenācitāsquality or state of being tenacious
Norwegian hardnakkethet
  • hardnakkethetquality or state of being tenacious
Polish upartość, wytrwałość
  • upartośćquality or state of being tenacious
  • wytrwałośćquality or state of being tenacious
  • zawziętośćquality or state of being tenacious
  • spoistośćquality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force
  • spójnośćquality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force
  • zwartośćquality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force
  • lepkośćquality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies
  • wytrzymałość na rozciąganiegreatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder
Portuguese tenacidade
  • tenacidadequality or state of being tenacious
Romanian tenacitate, adezivitate
  • tenacitatequality or state of being tenacious
  • adezivitatequality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force
Russian це́пкость, упо́рство
  • це́пкость (cépkostʹ)quality or state of being tenacious
  • упо́рство (upórstvo)quality or state of being tenacious
  • вы́держка (výderžka)quality or state of being tenacious
  • свя́зность (svjáznostʹ)quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force
  • кле́йкость (kléjkostʹ)quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies
  • про́чность на растяже́ние (próčnostʹ na rastjažénije)greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder
  • предел прочности (predel pročnosti)greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder
Spanish tenacidad, tesón
  • tenacidadquality or state of being tenacious
  • tesónquality or state of being tenacious
Tagalog matibay
  • matibayquality or state of being tenacious
Ukrainian завзятість, упертість
  • завзятість (zavzjatistʹ)quality or state of being tenacious
  • упертість (upertistʹ)quality or state of being tenacious
  • стійкість (stijkistʹ)quality or state of being tenacious
  • наполегливість (napolehlyvistʹ)quality or state of being tenacious
  • цілеспрямованість (cilesprjamovanistʹ)quality or state of being tenacious
  • чіпкість (čipkistʹ)quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force
  • липкість (lypkistʹ)quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies
  • клейкість (klejkistʹ)quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies
  • опір розриву (opir rozryvu)greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with tenacity

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

tenacity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenacity

MLA

“tenacity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenacity. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tenacity,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tenacity.

Source: tenacity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.