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- pronunciation:
- te
n
bl
- features:
- Word Combinations (adjective), Word Parts
| part of speech: |
adjective |
| definition 1: |
able to be upheld, affirmed, supported, or defended; logical.
When he finally did his research, he found to his disappointment that his argument was not tenable.It sounds like something that would benefit us, but we'll have to make sure it's a tenable proposition.- synonyms:
- defensible, explicable, justifiable, sound, supportable, sustainable
- antonyms:
- indefensible, untenable
- similar words:
- credible, impregnable, indisputable, irrefutable, legitimate, logical, plausible, practicable, rational, sensible, unassailable, undeniable, unquestionable, viable
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| definition 2: |
able to be defended from armed attack.
If the enemy crosses the river, we will withdraw south to a tenable position.- synonyms:
- defensible, impregnable
- antonyms:
- indefensible
- similar words:
- indestructible, insurmountable, invincible, inviolable, safe, secure, unassailable, unbeatable
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| related words: |
invulnerable, likely, reasonable |
adverb + (adj.)tenable
hardly, however, increasingly, least, less, long, more, simply, yet
(adj.)tenable
+ noun
approach, cause, claim, explanation, hypothesis, idea, model, position, situation, theory, thesis, truth, view
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| derivations: |
tenably (adv.), tenability (n.) |
The word tenable
contains the following parts:
ten, tin, tain
Latin
root
that means to hold
  Example words:
abstain, abstinence, appertain, attain, contain, container, content, contention, continent, continual, continue, continuous, detain, detention, impertinent, incontinent, lieutenant, maintain, maintenance, obtain, pertain, pertinacious, pertinacity, pertinent, retain, retentive, retinue, sustain, tenable, tenacious, tenacity, tenant, tenement, tenet, tennis, tenor, tenure
-able, -ible, -ble
Latin
adjective-forming suffix
that means capable of being, doing, or undergoing
More about this word part:
The suffix -able
, and its variants, is attached to Latin verb roots or English transitive verbs to form adjectives. (In a small set of cases, -able
is attached to a noun, e.g. knowledgeable and marriageable.) For spelling purposes, it is useful to know that -able
is more likely to be added to a whole English word (comparable
, adorable
), while -ible
is more likely to follow a bound root (visible
, legible
). However,there are still many words which combine a root with -able
(capable
, inevitable
). The suffix -ity can be added to any adjective ending in -able
, -ible
, -ble
to produce a corresponding noun ending in -ability, -ibility, -bility (possible
+ -ity > possibility; irrevocable
+ -ity > irrevocability.)
Example words:
acceptable, accessible, admissible, adorable, amiable, amicable, audible, avoidable, believable, bearable, biodegradable, capable, calculable, cognizable, comparable, compatible, comprehensible, conformable, conversable, convertible, corrigible, credible, creditable, curable, dependable, despicable, disagreeable, disposable, divisible, eligible, explicable, flammable, flexible, illegible, illimitable, imaginable, immiscible, immovable, immutable, impalpable, impassable, impeccable, impermeable, impermissible, imperturbable, implacable, implausible, imponderable, impossible, impregnable, inalienable, inaudible, incapable, incalculable, incommunicable, incomprehensible, inconceivable, detectable, conceivable, incorrigible, incredible, incurable, indefeasible, indelible, indescribable, indestructible, indivisible, indomitable, ineligible, ineluctable, ineradicable, inescapable, inevitable, inexorable, inexpiable, inexplicable, infallible, inhospitable, inimitable, inscrutable, inseparable, insuperable, intangible, interminable, intractable, invaluable, invariable, invincible, invisible, irrefragable, irrefutable, irremissible, irreparable, irreversible, irrevocable, legible, likable, lovable, manageable, measurable, movable, navigable, notable, opposable, palpable, perishable, permissible, placable, portable, possible, potable, predictable, preferable, prescriptible, recognizable, remissible, reprehensible, reversible, risible, semipermeable, sensible, superable, susceptible, tangible, tenable, tolerable, tractable, transmissible, unsupportable, usable, viable, visible, washable, affordable, allowable, reliable, remarkable, approachable, disputable, drinkable, durable, eatable, renewable, sustainable, unshakable
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