adj · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈtɛnjuːɪs/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈtɛnuːɪs/
General-American:/ˈtɛnjuɪs/
General-American:/ˈtɛnuɪs/
homophone: tenuous (when unstressed /ɪ/ = [ə])
1
adj
Meaning 1
Of Greek consonants, neither aspirated nor voiced, as [p], [t],
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Of obstruents in other languages, not voiced, aspirated, glottalized, or otherwise different in phonation from the prototypical values of the voiceless IPA letters ([p], [t], [k], [f], [θ], [s], [ʃ], etc.).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A tenuis consonant.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from Latin tenuis (“thin, fine; weak”). Doublet of thin.