What does "tenth" mean?
The person or thing coming next after the ninth in a series; that which is in the tenth position.
Tenth
/tɪnθ/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The person or thing coming next after the ninth in a series; that which is in the tenth position.
- Grammar: tenth is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: one-tenth, ten percent, tenth part, 10th.
- Useful contrasts: entire, first, hundred percent.
- Usage evidence: School begins on April the tenth.
How to use "tenth"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tenth" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tenth" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tenth" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tenth" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tenth" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "one-tenth" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tenth", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The person or thing coming next after the ninth in a series; that which is in the tenth position.
- 2 a tenth part; one part in ten equal parts wordnet
- 3 One of ten equal parts of a whole.
"Economics is a messy discipline: too fluid to be a science, too rigorous to be an art. Perhaps it is fitting that economists’ most-used metric, gross domestic product (GDP), is a tangle too. GDP measures the total value of output in an economic territory. Its apparent simplicity explains why it is scrutinised down to tenths of a percentage point every month."
- 4 position ten in a countable series of things wordnet
- 5 The interval between any tone and the tone represented on the tenth degree of the staff above it, as between one of the scale and three of the octave above; the octave of the third.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A temporary aid issuing out of personal property, and granted to the king by Parliament; formerly, the real tenth part of all the movables belonging to the subject. UK, historical, in-plural
- 7 A tenth of a mil; a ten-thousandth of an inch.
Verb
- 1 To divide by ten, into tenths.
"A regular cistern may be inched or tenthed by the rule given for inching or tenthing the back, copper, or cooler, which inching or tenthing should be entered in a table book for use."
Adjective
- 1 The ordinal numeral form of ten; next in order after that which is ninth. not-comparable
"My dear young lady, here I am for the tenth time."
- 2 Being one of ten equal parts of a whole. not-comparable
"The Ephah and the Bath shal be of one measure, that the Bath may containe the tenth part of an Homer, and the Ephah the tenth part of an Homer: the measure thereof shall be after the Homer."
Adjective
- 1 coming next after the ninth and just before the eleventh in position wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"School begins on April the tenth."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tenth"?
Common synonyms include: one-tenth, ten percent, tenth part, 10th, 10th, decimal.
How do you use "tenth" in a sentence?
School begins on April the tenth.
How do you pronounce "tenth"?
Pronounced /tɪnθ/.
Etymology
From Middle English tenth, tenthe. Old English had tēoþa (origin of Modern English tithe), but the force of analogy to the cardinal number "ten" caused Middle English speakers to recreate the regular ordinal and re-insert the nasal consonant. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *tehundô. Equivalent to ten (numeral) + -th (suffix forming ordinals).