1
as in defendable
capable of being defended against physical attack
the soldiers' encampment on the open plain was not tenable, so they retreated to higher ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in justifiable
capable of being defended with good reasoning against verbal attack
the tenable theory that a giant meteor strike set off a chain of events resulting in the demise of the dinosaurs
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tenable
After the war, many Iranians hoped things would change and that the government would leverage the nationalistic rally around the flag to introduce a more tenable social contract with the populace.
—
Cnn Staff, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
Even so, their choice may not be tenable for much longer.
—Allison Schrager, Boston Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
There is no tenable middle ground here.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Republicans face the same kind of pressure to deal with disaster relief and other agenda items, meaning the situation is not tenable long term for either party.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tenable
Cnn Staff, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
Even so, their choice may not be tenable for much longer.
—Allison Schrager, Boston Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
There is no tenable middle ground here.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Republicans face the same kind of pressure to deal with disaster relief and other agenda items, meaning the situation is not tenable long term for either party.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tenable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tenable
Adjective
-
There is justifiable scepticism that this is a deliberate philosophical shift, but rather a reaction to injury and circumstance, combined with an attempt to generate some enthusiasm about an otherwise underwhelming set of players.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
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That Utah rideshare driver, however, was justifiable more grouchy.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The preservation was so exceptional that the researchers could identify countershading patterns, indicating this armored dinosaur relied on camouflage despite its heavily defended appearance.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Nov. 2025
-
Private firefighting outfits defended companies, utilities, and ultrarich enclaves while other parts of the city burned.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The more exceptions to a rule made, the less necessary and less defensible that exclusion seems.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, pointed to the concept of defensible borders that emerged after the 1967 Six-Day War.—
Amelie Botbol,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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While Bo tracked the boy, the Gastonia police department, sheriff's office and EMS established a secured perimeter to search for the child.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
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For secured filters, clean away the lint with a soft brush.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In addition to the anxiety over Monday's ruling, Petit said, Haitians under protected status were living amid an uptick in Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in areas with large Haitian communities in South Florida.—
Suzanne Gamboa,
NBC news,
3 Feb. 2026
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Isabella Rodriguez, Florida elections director at Citizens Defending Freedom, said religion is also a protected class.—
CBS Miami Team,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The researchers say the method could lead to scalable platforms for adaptive materials used in soft robotics, secure communication, biomedical devices, and advanced manufacturing.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
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Some states’ Emergency Medicaid applications specifically ask for a patient’s immigration status — and still assure people that their information will be kept secure and out of the hands of immigration enforcement officials.—
Phil Galewitz,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tenable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tenable. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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