What does tenable mean?
Word: Tenable
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Tenable means reasonable enough to be defended or believed, like a tenable argument. It can also describe a job or prize held for a fixed time.
Synonyms: reasonable, sound, defensible
Antonyms: untenable, weak
How do you spell tenable?
Syllables: ten - a - ble
Tricky part: It ends in -able, not -ible, though many words that sound like it, such as edible and visible, take -ible.
Watch out for: tenible, tenabel
Memory tip: A tenable idea is able to stand up to questions, so end it with able.
Tenable in a sentence
Example 1: Her plan was tenable because she had checked every detail.
Example 2: After the new evidence, the old theory was no longer tenable.
Example 3: The scholarship is tenable for three years at any university.
Fun Fact
Tenable comes from the French tenir and the Latin tenere, both meaning to hold. Tenacious, meaning holding on firmly, shares the same root.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) durable
b) notable
c) tennable
d) capable
Show answer
c) tennable. Tenable has a single n, just like the number ten at its start.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. tenable 2. edible 3. visible a. safe to eat b. able to be seen c. able to hold up when people question it
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
c) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
Show answer
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b. Edible food is safe to eat and visible things can be seen, which leaves an idea that holds up for tenable.
Word Champ
Read the statements and choose the correct option:
1. A tenable idea is one that can be supported with good reasons. 2. A tenent is a person who pays rent to live in a house. 3. A tenor is a high male singing voice.
a) only 1 is true
b) all three are true
c) only 1 and 2 are true
d) only 1 and 3 are true
Show answer
d) only 1 and 3 are true. Statement 2 hides a misspelling: the word is tenant, with an a.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
The class agreed that Kabir's idea for the science fair was tenable, so they began colecting old bottles and cardbord.
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
Show answer
c) 2. Collecting needs a double l and cardboard ends with the word board.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The strongest sign that an explanation is tenable is that ___.
a) it was the first one given
b) it fits all the known facts
c) it is the most popular one
d) it uses difficult words
Show answer
b) it fits all the known facts
2. Tenable is closest in meaning to ___.
a) breakable
b) comfortable
c) believable
d) valuable
Show answer
c) believable
