tenuous

From Latin tenuis (“thin, slight”), + English suffix -ous.

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɛnjuːəs/
• Rhymes: -ɛnjuːəs

tenuous (comparative more tenuous, superlative most tenuous)

1. Thin in substance or consistency.

   The aether was thought to be of tenuous strands.

   Far from being amicable, the numbers seemed to turn their backs on each other, and I couldn't find a pair with even the most tenuous connection.

2. insubstantial

   His argument was not convincing in the debate, considering how tenuous it was.

   • July 18 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club The Dark Knight Rises

     Picking up eight years after The Dark Knight left off, the film finds Gotham enjoying a tenuous peace based on Harvey Dent’s moral ideals rather than the ugly truth of his demise.

• (thin in substance or consistency): delicate, gossamer; See also Thesaurus:fragile
• (insubstantial): ethereal; See also Thesaurus:insubstantial