tenacity

CIDE DICTIONARY

tenacity, n. [L. tenacitas: cf. F. ténacité. See Tenacious.].

•  The quality or state of being tenacious; as, tenacity, or retentiveness, of memory; tenacity, or persistency, of purpose.  [1913 Webster]
•  That quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force; cohesiveness; the effect of attraction; -- as distinguished from brittleness, fragility, mobility, etc.  [1913 Webster]
•  That quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies; adhesiveness; viscosity.  Holland.  [1913 Webster]
•  The greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder, -- usually expressed with reference to a unit area of the cross section of the substance, as the number of pounds per square inch, or kilograms per square centimeter, necessary to produce rupture.  [1913 Webster]

DEVIL DICTIONARY

tenacity

n. A certain quality of the human hand in its relation to the coin of the realm. It attains its highest development in the hand of authority and is considered a serviceable equipment for a career in politics. The following illustrative lines were written of a Californian gentleman in high political preferment, who has passed to his accounting:

Of such tenacity his grip
That nothing from his hand can slip.
Well-buttered eels you may o'erwhelm
In tubs of liquid slippery-elm
In vain -- from his detaining pinch
They cannot struggle half an inch!
'Tis lucky that he so is planned
That breath he draws not with his hand,
For if he did, so great his greed
He'd draw his last with eager speed.
Nay, that were well, you say. Not so
He'd draw but never let it go!

THESAURUS

tenacity

adhesiveness, application, assiduity, assiduousness, balkiness, bigotry, bottling up, bulldog courage, bulldog tenacity, bullheadedness, clabbering, clamminess, cling, clotting, coagulation, cohesiveness, colloidality, commitment, concentration, consistency, constancy, corking up, curdling, decidedness, decision, decisiveness, dedication, definiteness, determinateness, determination, determinedness, devotion, diligence, dogged perseverance, doggedness, dogmatism, doughiness, durability, earnestness, endurance, engrossment, fanaticism, fidelity, firmness, fixed mind, fortitude, gameness, gaminess, gelatinity, gelatinousness, gluelikeness, gluiness, glutinosity, glutinousness, grit, grittiness, gumlikeness, gumminess, hardheadedness, hardihood, hardiness, hardness, headstrongness, heaviness, holding, holding in, incrassation, indefatigability, industriousness, industry, inflexibility, inflexible will, infrangibility, inhibition, insistence, insistency, inspissation, intolerance, intransigence, jellification, jellylikeness, keeping, lastingness, leatherlikeness, lentor, locking in, loyalty, maintenance, mettlesomeness, mucilaginousness, mulishness, nerviness, obduracy, obstinacy, obstinateness, opinionatedness, overzealousness, pastiness, patience, patience of Job, permanence, perseverance, persistence, persistency, pertinaciousness, pertinacity, pigheadedness, plodding, pluckiness, plugging, power, prehension, preoccupation, preservation, purpose, purposefulness, relentlessness, repression, resilience, resistance, resoluteness, resolution, resolve, resolvedness, restiveness, retainment, retention, retentiveness, retentivity, rigidity, ropiness, sand, sedulity, sedulousness, self-will, seriousness, sincerity, single-mindedness, singleness of purpose, slabbiness, sliminess, slogging, snugness, spissitude, spunkiness, stability, stamina, staunchness, staying power, steadfastness, steadiness, stick-to-itiveness, stickiness, stiff neck, stiff-neckedness, stiffness, stodginess, strength, stringiness, strongheadness, stubbornness, sulkiness, sullenness, suppression, syrupiness, tackiness, tenaciousness, thickening, thickness, tightness, tirelessness, total commitment, toughness, treacliness, unbreakability, unbreakableness, uncompromisingness, uncooperativeness, unregenerateness, unremittingness, unswerving attention, viscidity, viscosity, viscousness, vitality, will, willfulness

ROGET THESAURUS

tenacity

Resolution

N resolution, determination, will, iron will, unconquerable will, will of one's own, decision, resolution, backbone, clear grit, true grit, grit, sand, strength of mind, strength of will, resolve, firmness, energy, manliness, vigor, game, pluck, resoluteness, zeal, aplomb, desperation, devotion, devotedness, mastery over self, self control, self command, self possession, self reliance, self government, self restraint, self conquest, self denial, moral courage, moral strength, perseverance, tenacity, obstinacy, bulldog, British lion, resolved, determined, strong-willed, strong-minded, resolute, self-possessed, decided, definitive, peremptory, tranchant, unhesitating, unflinching, unshrinking, firm, iron, gritty, indomitable, game to the backbone, inexorable, relentless, not to be shaken, not to be put down, tenax propositi, inflexible, obstinate, steady, earnest, serious, set upon, bent upon, intent upon, steel against, proof against, in utrumque paratus, resolutely, in earnest, in good earnest, seriously, joking apart, earnestly, heart and soul, on one's mettle, manfully, like a man, with a high hand, with a strong hand, at any rate, at any risk, at any hazard, at any price, at any cost, at any sacrifice, at all hazards, at all risks, at all events, a' bis ou a blanc, cost what it may, coute, a tort et a travers, once for all, neck or nothing, rain or shine, spes sibi quisque, celui qui veut celui-la peut, chi non s'arrischia non guadagna, frangas non flectes, manu forti, tentanda via est.

Obstinacy

N obstinacy, obstinateness, obstinacy, tenacity, cussedness, perseverance, immovability, old school, inflexibility, obduracy, obduration, dogged resolution, resolution, ruling passion, blind side, self-will, contumacy, perversity, pervicacy, pervicacity, indocility, bigotry, intolerance, dogmatism, opiniatry, opiniativeness, fixed idea, fanaticism, zealotry, infatuation, monomania, opinionatedness opinionativeness, mule, opinionist, opinionatist, opiniator, opinator, stickler, dogmatist, bigot, zealot, enthusiast, fanatic, obstinate, tenacious, stubborn, obdurate, casehardened, inflexible, balky, immovable, unshakable, not to be moved, inert, unchangeable, inexorable, mulish, obstinate as a mule, pig-headed, dogged, sullen, sulky, unmoved, uninfluenced unaffected, willful, self-willed, perverse, resty, restive, restiff, pervicacious, wayward, refractory, unruly, heady, headstrong, entete, contumacious, crossgrained, arbitrary, dogmatic, positive, bigoted, prejudiced, creed- bound, prepossessed, infatuated, stiff-backed, stiff necked, stiff hearted, hard-mouthed, hidebound, unyielding, impervious, impracticable, inpersuasible, unpersuadable, intractable, untractable, incorrigible, deaf to advice, impervious to reason, crotchety, obstinately, non possumus, no surrender, ils n'ont rien appris ne rien oublie.

Coherence

N coherence, adherence, adhesion, adhesiveness, concretion accretion, conglutination, agglutination, agglomeration, aggregation, consolidation, set, cementation, sticking, soldering, connection, dependence, tenacity, toughness, stickiness, inseparability, inseparableness, bur, remora, conglomerate, concrete, cohesive, adhesive, adhering, cohering, tenacious, tough, sticky, united, unseparated, unsessile, inseparable, inextricable, infrangible, compact.

Retention

N retention, retaining, keep, detention, custody, tenacity, firm hold, grasp, gripe, grip, iron grip, fangs, teeth, claws, talons, nail, unguis, hook, tentacle, tenaculum, bond, clutches, tongs, forceps, pincers, nippers, pliers, vice, paw, hand, finger, wrist, fist, neaf, neif, bird in hand, captive, retaining, retentive, tenacious, unforfeited, undeprived, undisposed, uncommunicated, incommunicable, inalienable, in mortmain, in strict settlement, uti possidetis.

Parsimony

N parsimony, parcity, parsimoniousness, stinginess, stint, illiberality, tenacity, avarice, greed, miser, niggard, churl, screw, skinflint, crib, codger, muckworm, scrimp, lickpenny, hunks, curmudgeon, Harpagon, harpy, extortioner, Jew, usurer, Hessian, pinch fist, pinch penny, parsimonious, penurious, stingy, miserly, mean, shabby, peddling, scrubby, penny wise, near, niggardly, close, fast handed, close handed, strait handed, close fisted, hard fisted, tight fisted, tight, sparing, chary, grudging, griping, illiberal, ungenerous, churlish, hidebound, sordid, mercenary, venal, covetous, usurious, avaricious, greedy, extortionate, rapacious, with a sparing hand, desunt inopioe multa avaritiae omnia, hoards after hoards his rising raptures fill, the unsunn'd heaps of miser's treasures.

Tenacity

N tenacity, toughness, strength, (cohesion), grip, grasp, stickiness, (cohesion), sequacity, stubbornness (obstinacy), glue, cement, glutinousness, sequaciousness, viscidity, (semiliquidity), leather, white leather, whitleather, gristle, cartilage, unbreakability, tensile strength, tenacious, tough, strong, resisting, sequacious, stringy, gristly cartilaginous, leathery, coriaceous, tough as whitleather, stubborn, unbreakable, indivisible, atomic.

Memory

N memory, remembrance, retention, retentiveness, tenacity, veteris vestigia flammae, tablets of the memory, readiness, reminiscence, recognition, recollection, rememoration, recurrence, flashback, retrospect, retrospection, afterthought, post script, PS, suggestion, prompting, hint, reminder, remembrancer, flapper, memorial, commemoration, note, memo, memorandum, things to be remembered, token of remembrance, memento, souvenir, keepsake, relic, memorabilia, art of memory, artificial memory, memoria technica, mnemonics, mnemotechnics, phrenotypics, Mnemosyne, prompt-book, crib sheet, cheat sheet, retentive memory, tenacious memory, photographic memory, green memory, trustworthy memory, capacious memory, faithful memory, correct memory, exact memory, ready memory, prompt memory, accurate recollection, perfect memory, total recall, celebrity, fame, renown, reputation, remembering, remembered, mindful, reminiscential, retained in the memory, pent up in one's memory, fresh, green, green in remembrance, unforgotten, present to the mind, within one's memory, indelible, uppermost in one's thoughts, memorable, by heart, by rote, without book, memoriter, in memory of, in memoriam, memoria in aeterna, suggestive, manet alta mente repostum, forsan et haec olim meminisse juvabit, absens haeres non erit, beatae memoriae, briefly thyself remember, mendacem memorem esse oportet, memory the warder of the brain, parsque est meminisse doloris, to live in hearts we leave behind is not to die, vox audita peril littera scripta manet, out of sight, out of mind.