tenacious
teh-NAY-shus · adjective
Persistent, determined, and unwilling to give up.
Memory connection
Picture “ten nays”
After hearing ten people say nay, a runner keeps training and finally crosses the finish line.
The sound cue helps you reach the scene; the action in the scene carries you from the scene to the definition.
Use it accurately
Meaning in context
The tenacious reporter continued investigating after several sources refused to speak.
A tenacious vine had worked its way through a crack in the wall.
Tenacious can praise determined effort or describe something that grips and persists physically. Context decides whether the persistence is admirable.
Common patterns
- tenacious effort
- a tenacious grip
- tenacious advocate
Quick check
Can you retrieve the meaning?
A tenacious researcher is likely to…
Choose an answer, then explain it in your own words.