tenuous presence

USAGE SUMMARY

"tenuous presence" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe a situation or entity that exists but is weak or not firmly established. Example: "The artist's influence in the community was a tenuous presence, often overlooked by the mainstream." Alternative expressions include "fragile presence" and "weak presence."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Encyclopedias

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

In the process, the nude is formed, lighted by the painting's own facture, but in the final result its tenuous presence must often be teased out by the eye.

The New York Times - Arts

It had taken us four days to travel about two hundred and fifty miles — south from the city of Taloqan, through the Hindu Kush, and into the Panjshir Valley — across an isolated, edgy region where the Northern Alliance seemed to have only a tenuous presence.

The New Yorker

Prior to the Younger Dryas, wild rice had only a very tenuous presence in certain caves to the south of the Yangzi (Nakamura 2010).

Rice

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

The link between research results and changing medical practice is still tenuous but the presence of researchers may itself have an impact on how health problems are approached.

CPT: Pharmacometrics and Systems Pharmacology

Once they got beyond the town's gate, the fighters looked uncertain; there was a tenuous air to their presence.

The New Yorker

Still, a stroll one afternoon last month through a sprawling patchwork of slums, Nordeste de Amaralina, where, Mr. Almeida said, officials had increased the police presence, the tenuous nature of crime-fighting policies was apparent.

The New York Times

Her lies are so frequent and robust, and her grip on reality so tenuous, that her continued presence on the national stage says more about us than her.

Huffington Post

The situation, already tenuous after extensive police presence that included rubber bullets, pepper spray and tear gas since Michael Brown's death last week, exploded Wednesday evening after SWAT officers roughed up and arrested two reporters inside a local McDonald's.

Huffington Post

The spectroscopic studies also led to the discovery of solid carbon dioxide on Callisto and the presence of a tenuous, continuously escaping atmosphere of carbon dioxide.

Encyclopedia Britannica

The community seems to thrive off an image of the tortured artist transposed to the internet age, an outsider status validated only by the tenuous nature of their internet presence.

The Guardian - Books

In 1997, the Galileo spacecraft confirmed the presence of a tenuous ionosphere (an upper-atmospheric layer of charged particles) around Europa created by solar radiation and energetic particles from Jupiter's magnetosphere, providing evidence of an atmosphere.

Wikipedia

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In scientific writing, particularly astronomy, use it to describe low-density atmospheres or ionospheres around moons and planets.

Common error

While "tenuous presence" is correct for both thin physical gases and metaphorical weakness, do not use it to describe physical objects that are simply small or 'thin'. For example, avoid saying a 'tenuous presence of a wire'; instead, use 'slender' or 'thin'. Reserve 'tenuous' for things that are intrinsically fragile or sparse.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "tenuous presence" functions as a noun phrase consisting of an adjective and a noun. It is typically used as a direct object or a subject complement to describe a state of being. According to Ludwig, it often appears in descriptive contexts to highlight the vulnerability of an entity.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

55%

Science

25%

Encyclopedias

10%

Less common in

Wiki

6%

Arts & Literature

3%

Professional Correspondence

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "tenuous presence" is an exceptionally versatile tool for writers across disciplines. Whether used to describe the "tenuous presence" of a planetary atmosphere in a scientific journal or the "tenuous presence" of a political faction in a conflict zone, the phrase consistently conveys a sense of precariousness. Ludwig AI confirms that the phrase is grammatically sound and widely accepted in professional writing. Its strength lies in its ability to bridge the gap between physical sparseness and metaphorical weakness. When choosing this phrase, ensure that the context supports a sense of fragility, as its use implies that the 'presence' in question could easily vanish or be overcome.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

fragile presence

Emphasizes the susceptibility to being broken or destroyed easily.

weak presence

A more direct and less literary way to describe lack of strength or influence.

precarious foothold

Often used in political or professional contexts to imply a dangerous lack of stability.

marginal presence

Suggests that the subject exists only at the edges and lacks central importance.

feeble influence

Focuses specifically on the lack of power or effect the presence has.

nominal presence

Implies something exists in name only or to a very minimal degree.

slender grip

Metaphorical variation focusing on the difficulty of maintaining a hold on a situation.

fleeting presence

Focuses on the temporary or brief nature of the existence.

shaky standing

Suggests a lack of a firm foundation, often used in social or legal contexts.

ghostly presence

Highly evocative, suggesting something barely perceptible or haunting.

FAQs

How do I use "tenuous presence" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe something unstable, such as: "The rebel group maintained a "tenuous presence" in the northern mountains despite the harsh winter."

What can I say instead of "tenuous presence"?

Depending on your specific meaning, you might use a "fragile presence", a "weak presence", or a "marginal presence".

Can "tenuous presence" be used in science?

Yes, it is frequently used to describe a "tenuous atmosphere", referring to gases that are very thin and lack high density, such as those found on the moon Callisto.

Is "tenuous presence" formal?

It is considered a neutral to formal phrase. It is perfectly appropriate for academic research, high-quality journalism, and professional reporting, as seen in "The New York Times" and scientific journals.