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Tenuous vs Fragile - What's the difference?

tenuous | fragile |

As adjectives the difference between tenuous and fragile

is that tenuous is thin in substance or consistency while fragile is easily broken or destroyed, and thus often of subtle or intricate structure.

tenuous

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Thin in substance or consistency.
    • The aether was thought to be of tenuous strands.
  • insubstantial
    • His argument was not convincing in the debate, considering how tenuous it was.
  • * July 18 2012 , Scott Tobias, AV Club The Dark Knight Rises [http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-dark-knight-rises-review-batman,82624/]
    • Picking up eight years after The Dark Knight left off, the film finds Gotham enjoying a tenuous peace based on Harvey Dent’s moral ideals rather than the ugly truth of his demise.

    fragile

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Easily broken or destroyed, and thus often of subtle or intricate structure.
    • The chemist synthesizes a fragile molecule.
    The UN tries to maintain the fragile peace process in the region.
    He is a very fragile person and gets easily depressed.

    Synonyms

    * friable * breakly * breakable * destroyable * destructible * See also

    Antonyms

    * durable * unbreakable * undestroyable * indestructible

    Derived terms

    * fragilely

    Related terms

    * fractal * fraction * fractional * fracture * fragility * frail * frailty * frangible