1. (a.) Weak; flimsy; small; as, a tenuous grip on power\.

2. (a.) Rare; subtle; not dense; -- said of fluids.

3. (a.) Lacking substance, as a tenuous argument.

adulterated aerial air-built airy aloof atomic attenuate attenuated boyish broken chimerical cloud-built corpuscular cut dainty delicate detached diaphanous dilute diluted disconnected discontinuous discrete doubtful dreamlike dubious embryonic ethereal evanescent fanciful fatuitous fatuous feeble fine fine-drawn finespun flimsy fragile frail gapped gaseous gauzy germinal girlish gossamer gossamery gracile granular hazy illusory imaginary impalpable imperceptible imponderable inappreciable incoherent inconsistent indiscernible infinitesimal insignificant insubstantial intangible invisible lacy light microcosmic microscopic misty molecular nebulous negligible nonadherent nonadhesive noncoherent noncohesive open paltry papery phantomlike rare rarefied reedy shadowy shaky sketchy slender slenderish slight slight-made slim slimmish slinky small spirituous subatomic subtile subtle svelte sylphlike thin thin-bodied thin-set thin-spun thinned thinned-out thinnish threadlike trifling twiggy ultramicroscopic unadhesive uncoherent uncohesive uncompact uncompressed unconnected unjoined unreal unseeable unsubstantial untenacious vague vaporous wasp-waisted watered watered-down watery weak willowy windy wiredrawn wispy