tenable
UK/'tenəbl/US/'tenәbl/
IELTSGREA1
Definitions
adj.
Able to be defended against attack or objection; well-founded
站得住脚的；守得住的；合理的
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedten (hold) + -able (able to be) = 'able to be held.' Originally military: a tenable position is one you can hold against the enemy. The metaphor moved into argument — a tenable theory is one you can 'hold' under attack from critics, a position you can defend without it collapsing.
Root tain still carries 87 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.tenable position站得住脚的立场
- 2.tenable argument站得住脚的论点
- 3.no longer tenable不再成立
- 4.hardly tenable几乎难以成立
Example Sentences
- 1.
His argument is no longer tenable after the new evidence.
- 2.
They held a tenable position on the high ground.
- 3.
Is that interpretation really tenable?