tenacity

[tuh-nas-i-tee]

noun

1. the quality of being tenacious, or of holding fast; persistence.

   the amazing tenacity of rumors.

2. the quality of retaining something.

   the tenacity of memory.

3. the quality or property of holding together firmly.

   testing the tenacity of the old book's binding.

Other Word Forms

• overtenacity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tenacity¹

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin tenācitās equivalent to tenāc- (stem of tenāx ) “holding fast,” derivative of tenēre “to hold” + -itās -ity ( def. )

Synonym Study

See perseverance.

Example Sentences

“She is very resourceful,” Dockery agrees of Mary’s tenacity and ability to imagine a new future for Downton, particularly new ways of funding the estate.

From Los Angeles Times

Said Bledsoe: “He’s got real tenacity to get to the quarterback and a quick first step.”

From Los Angeles Times

Born Louis Murray Naidorf on Aug. 15, 1928, in Los Angeles, he shaped his future with the same purposefulness and tenacity he brought to his buildings.

From Los Angeles Times

Colleagues, students and others who knew Zerlentes described the warmth and tenacity of one of the college and community's pillars.

From BBC

Pushing through with the tour, which began in April 2024 in Vancouver and ended Wednesday in Turkey, allowed Timberlake to prove his “mental tenacity,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• chutzpah 
• courage 
• determination 
• firmness www.thesaurus.com
• grit 
• guts www.thesaurus.com
• perseverance 
• persistence 
• spunk 
• steadfastness