tenacious

tuh-NEY-shus

meaning in plain English

Picture a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe that just won’t lift off. Tenacious means holding on tightly and refusing to let go.

Think of tenacious tape that refuses to peel away.

for example

That was a very tenacious thing to happen.

Imagine you’re trying to finish a jigsaw puzzle and one stubborn piece just won’t fit, no matter how many times you twist it. Your tenacious effort to make that piece click shows how determination keeps you from giving up, even when the solution feels out of reach.