Tenacious — A Vocabulary Story
Tenacious to the Core
Three seconds on the clock. Down by one. The entire sports hall holding its breath.
Dara had been knocked down twice already in the final quarter. Once by a clumsy elbow to the ribs, once by a defender who had absolutely no interest in getting out of her way. Both times she'd bounced straight back up before anyone could blink.
There was simply no other word for Dara than tenacious.
Tenacious means tending to keep a firm hold of something. It also means clinging or adhering closely. It can also mean persistent in maintaining or seeking something valued or desired.
She'd been tenacious her entire life. With her ribs aching, two defenders cutting across her path, and the clock ticking, she still didn't stop. Couldn't stop. It simply wasn't in her.
She'd chased that ball the entire length of the court, shoulder barged, nearly floored, still going. Every tenacious step closing the gap between her and the basket.
Then she scooped it up, pivoted, and released it in one fluid movement.
It went in.
The hall exploded.
Dara stood completely still in the middle of the chaos — players screaming, teammates piling into each other, her coach punching the air so enthusiastically he nearly took out the assistant referee. She was breathing hard, ribs throbbing, grinning so widely her face hurt.
A teammate crashed into her from behind. "You are absolutely unbelievable," she shouted over the noise, laughing.
Dara just shrugged.
Worth it. Absolutely, completely worth it.
Word Definition
tenacious
meaning
tending to keep a firm hold of something; clinging or adhering closely; persistent in maintaining or seeking something valued or desired
synonyms
cohesive · dogged · relentless · spunky · staunch
antonyms
yielding · quitting · hesitant
example sentence
She is a tenacious negotiator who never backs down.