Tenacity in a Sentence: Examples and Practice

Tenacity (noun). the determination to keep working towards something despite difficulty or setbacks.

Example: With quiet tenacity, Mira revised her application and tried again.

Pronunciation guide: tuh-NASS-uh-tee. Capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Explore the usage · Try the three-question quiz · Keep learning

How to use tenacity in a sentence

Use tenacity when the important idea is continuing despite a challenge. A useful sentence shows both the difficulty and the continued effort. “She showed tenacity” is correct, but “She showed tenacity by practising every day after failing the audition” gives the reader more information.

For the full definition and related words, read our tenacity meaning and persistence guide. This lesson concentrates on building your own sentences.

Five examples with different sentence patterns

• Show tenacity: The learners showed tenacity by returning to the difficult exercise each week.
• With tenacity: Arjun searched with tenacity until he located the missing document.
• Tenacity in: Her tenacity in learning the new system impressed her colleagues.
• Admire someone’s tenacity: I admire his tenacity, even though the project is still unfinished.
• Tenacity and: Patience and tenacity helped the team work through several revisions.

Notice that the fourth sentence does not promise success. Tenacity describes persistence; it does not guarantee a particular result.

Tenacity, tenacious and tenaciously

Tenacity names the quality: “Her tenacity encouraged us.” It is normally uncountable in this use: say “great tenacity,” rather than “a tenacity,” when simply naming the quality.

Tenacious is the adjective: “She is a tenacious learner.” Tenaciously is the adverb: “She worked tenaciously to improve her pronunciation.” Change the surrounding grammar when you change the word form.

Compare “He showed tenacity” with “He was tenacious.” The noun follows showed; the adjective follows was.

Make the meaning visible

Start with this frame: Despite ___, ___ continued to ___. Then rewrite it using tenacity. For example: “Despite two rejected designs, Leela continued to improve her plan” becomes “Leela showed tenacity by improving her plan after two rejections.”

A description of tenacity can be admiring, but persistence is not always sensible. Someone can persist with an unhelpful idea. Add context to make your judgment clear, and avoid treating tenacity as a promise of success.

Practise tenacity: three quick questions

Try each question before opening its answer. If a question asks you to write a sentence, your own correct example is welcome.

Question 1

Complete the sentence: “The team showed ___ by trying again after the setback.” Choose tenacity or tenacious.

Question 2

Does “I admire her tenacity” prove that she has achieved her goal?

Question 3

Write one sentence using “with tenacity” and a specific difficulty.

Keep learning

Watch How to Pronounce Tenacity by Pronunciation Guide on YouTube.

Compare these words next: Prolific meaning and practice and Wary meaning and practice.

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Dictionary reference: Merriam-Webster: Tenacity. The examples and practice questions on this page are written for English Skill Studio.