tenable
6 synonyms and 2 antonyms for tenable, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adjective — Able to be defended against criticism or objection; reasonable enough to hold as a position.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. adjective
Able to be defended against criticism or objection; reasonable enough to hold as a position.
“After the new evidence emerged, his theory was no longer tenable.”
Opposites
2. adjective
Of a military position, capable of being held against attack.
“The ridge was not tenable once the artillery was lost.”
How to Use Tenable
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Formal, common in academic, legal and journalistic writing. The negative untenable is far more frequently used than the positive.
Etymology
From French tenable, from tenir 'to hold', from Latin tenere 'to hold'.
Full origin of tenable →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between tenable and tenuous?
Tenable means an argument or position can be successfully defended. Tenuous means it is thin, weak or barely supported. A tenuous link between two events is exactly the kind of thing that makes an argument untenable.
What is the difference between tenable and viable?
Tenable concerns whether a claim or position stands up to challenge; viable concerns whether a plan or organism can actually work or survive. A business plan can be viable, an interpretation can be tenable.