different between slender vs tenuous

English

Etymology

From Middle English slendre, sclendre, from Old French esclendre (“thin, slender”), from Old Dutch slinder (“thin, lank”), from Proto-Germanic *slindraz (“sliding, slippery”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleyd?- (“to slip”). Cognate with Bavarian Schlenderling (“that which dangles”), German schlendern (“to saunter, stroll”), Dutch slidderen, slinderen (“to wriggle, creep like a serpent”), Low German slindern (“to slide on ice”). More at slide, slither.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?sl?nd?/
• (General American) enPR: sl?n?d?r, IPA^(key): /?sl?nd?/
• Rhymes: -?nd?(?)
• Hyphenation: slen?der

Adjective

slender (comparative slenderer, superlative slenderest)

1. Thin; slim.

2. (figuratively) meagre; deficient

   Being a person of slender means, he was unable to afford any luxuries.

3. (Gaelic languages) Palatalized.

Synonyms

• (thin): lithe, svelte, willowy; see also Thesaurus:slender
• (meagre): insufficient, scarce, sparse; see also Thesaurus:inadequate

Antonyms

• (palatalized): broad
• See also Thesaurus:obese

Derived terms

• slender reed

Translations

Anagrams

• lenders, relends

English

Etymology

Irregularly formed from Latin tenuis (“thin, slight”) +? -ous. Compare tenuious.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?t?n.ju.?s/
• Rhymes: -?nju?s

Adjective

tenuous (comparative more tenuous, superlative most tenuous)

1. Thin in substance or consistency.

   Synonyms: delicate, gossamer; see also Thesaurus:fragile

2. Insubstantial.

   Synonyms: ethereal; see also Thesaurus:insubstantial

   • July 18 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club The Dark Knight Rises[1]

     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.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations