tenor
1 of 2noun
tenor
2 of 2adjective
Example Sentences
Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 9 May 2022 My dad had a beautiful tenor voice and decided to try out for a trio, but mistakenly arrived at a rehearsal for the men’s chorale. San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2022 That return helped change the tenor of a tight game. Brett Dawson, The Courier-Journal, 4 Sep. 2022 Over the span of a handful of batters on Thursday afternoon, the Diamondbacks changed the tenor of their road trip, shifting it from a disappointment in the making to one that maybe, just maybe, won’t be so bad after all. Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 9 June 2022 The market has seen some recent developments that have changed the tenor of the space, especially with the SEC increasing the equity crowdfunding cap back in November 2020, which was just recently realized in March 2021. Krishan Arora, Forbes, 4 May 2021 But Chauvin's guilt changed the tenor of the moment for many activists and civil rights leaders, who urged those fighting for social justice not to lose the momentum created by the trial. Kevin Mccoy, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2021 The Rams can still reach the playoffs with a win over Arizona in Week 17, but the past two weeks have changed the tenor of their season. oregonlive, 27 Dec. 2020 Sweeney’s country-as-grits voice pairs wondrously with Gill’s pure tenor, with both voices effortlessly conveying the song’s emotional nuances. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 26 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Noun
Middle English tenor, tenoure, tenure "main point of a document, intent of a legal agreement, continued presence or sustained course, part carrying the cantus firmus melody in contrapuntal music," borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French tenur, tenure "import of a document," borrowed from Medieval Latin tenōr-, tenor "sustained course, continuity, condition, drift of a law or document, tone of the voice, cantus firmus melody in contrapuntal music," going back to Latin, "sustained course, continuity, tone of the voice," from tenēre "to hold, possess" + -ōr-, -or, going back to *-ōs-, deverbal noun suffix of state — more at tenant entry 1
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a
Adjective
1522, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
tenor
noun
tenor
noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- direction
- course
- gist
- sum
- essence
- meat
- drift
- core
- bottom line
- crux
- pith
- heart
- subject
- bull's-eye
- content
- body
- substance
- nucleus
- net
- keynote
- pivot
- nub
- proposition
- centerpiece
- theme
- point
- root
- kernel
- meat and potatoes
- hypothesis
- thesis
- purport
- nubbin
Synonyms & Similar Words
- style
- proclivity
- disposition
- tendency
- set
- inclination
- bent
- mode
- usage
- bag
- deportment
- second nature
- convention
- turn
- practice
- pattern
- regime
- characteristic
- manners
- form
- groove
- custom
- use
- fashion
- ritual
- addiction
- mores
- habitude
- habit
- regimen
- affectation
- way
- routine
- trait
- rote
- rut
- practise
- airs
- attribute
- drill
- pose
- wont
- régime
- jog trot
- trick
- mark
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of tenor are current, drift, tendency, and trend. While all these words mean "movement in a particular direction," tenor stresses a clearly perceptible direction and a continuous, undeviating course.
While the synonyms current and tenor are close in meaning, current implies a clearly defined but not necessarily unalterable course.
The words drift and tenor can be used in similar contexts, but drift may apply to a tendency determined by external forces, or it may apply to an underlying or obscure trend of meaning or discourse.
Although the words tendency and tenor have much in common, tendency implies an inclination sometimes amounting to an impelling force.
The meanings of trend and tenor largely overlap; however, trend applies to the general direction maintained by a winding or irregular course.