tenaciously

[ tuh-ney-shuhs-lee ]

adverb

1. in a strong, tight, or secure manner:

   With its creeping roots and clawed tendrils, the invasive cat’s claw vine clings tenaciously to almost any surface.

2. in a persistent or stubborn manner:

   Traditional pastoralist societies have tenaciously held on to their customs and rituals in the face of tremendous pressure from governments bent on development.

Other Words From

• o·ver·te·na·cious·ly adverb
• un·te·na·cious·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of tenaciously¹

tenacious ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Sarat argued that cases like Williams' push the country closer toward one day ending the death penalty, despite some states "tenaciously clinging" to it.

From Salon

“And we should never forget, and those that guard our freedoms, that we should hang on to them very tenaciously and be very careful about some do-gooder that thinks that our safety is more important than our freedom. Because freedom is awful difficult to obtain, and it’s even more difficult to regain it once it’s lost.”

From Seattle Times

But Fleischmann tenaciously hung on.

From Los Angeles Times

While it’s not unusual for device or drug companies to tenaciously guard their intellectual property and competitive edge, the news this month is secrecy on a whole other scale, according to a consensus of neuroscientists and bioethicists.

From Seattle Times

Osborne had taken just one shot to that point as the Cougars worked tenaciously to deny the All-Pac-12 guard the ball.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• adamantly
• decisively
• doggedly
• persistently
• resolutely
• staunchly
• steadfastly
• strictly
• stubbornly