tenor

noun ten·or \ ˈte-nər \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

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Examples: tenor in a Sentence

Definition of tenor

1 a : the highest natural adult male singing voice; also : a person having this voice

b : the voice part next to the lowest in a 4-part chorus

c : a member of a family of instruments having a range next lower than that of the alto

d : the melodic line usually forming the cantus firmus in medieval music

2 a : the drift of something spoken or written : purport

b : an exact copy of a writing : transcript

c : the concept, object, or person meant in a metaphor

3 : a continuance in a course, movement, or activity

4 : habitual condition : character

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Examples of tenor in a Sentence

He has a high, lilting tenor.
She asked the tenors to sing the line again.
The tenor of his remarks is clear.

Recent Examples of tenor from the Web

Bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch, hiding under a black cowboy hat, brought a rueful heaviness to the laconic Ennis, whose fear keeps the lovers from making a life together, while tenor Glenn Seven Allen emphasized Jack’s contrastingly daredevil spirit.

— heidi waleson, WSJ, "‘Brokeback Mountain’ Review: Star-Crossed Singing Cowboys," 4 June 2018
And the tenor Glenn Seven Allen, with his robust voice and youthful swagger, is ideally suited to Jack.

— New York Times, "Review: ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ the Opera, Falls Short of Its Potential," 1 June 2018
Opera Philadelphia premieres a new song cycle tonight prompted by police brutality against African Americans and starring tenor Lawrence Brownlee.

— aubrey nagle, Philly.com, "New Pa. congressional map revealed, warmer weather sneaks in, Old City building 'total loss' after fire | Morning Newsletter," 20 Feb. 2018
See it for its sterling vocalists, especially tenor Lawrence Brownlee as Arturo and soprano Albina Shagimuratova as his true love, Elvira (a part famously, and probably more histrionically, sung at Lyric by Maria Callas).

— deanna isaacs, Chicago Reader, "Arts / Opera The Lyric's I Puritani is all about the bel canto music," 6 Feb. 2018
George Shirley, one of the greatest tenors of all time, didn’t miss his shot.

— rochelle riley, Detroit Free Press, "MOT, Willie Horton celebrate Negro Leagues player Josh Gibson," 19 May 2018
Featuring Steven Paul Spears, tenor; Linda Sparks, piano and Jan Ward, organ.

— gege reed, The Courier-Journal, "Concerts to see this week in Louisville: Willie Nelson to Ben Sollee," 18 May 2018
The vicious tenor of the 2016 GOP presidential primary — which included attacks on a spouse’s looks, demeaning nicknames and veiled talk of a candidate’s ... ahem ... hand size — is being matched by Virginia’s raucous congressional primaries.

— Washington Post, "Virginia Republicans at odds - and throats - in Trump era," 16 May 2018
The 26-year-old tenor saxophonist has set most of these original compositions at a medium-fast tempo, and her saxophone stipples and scampers, gesturing toward the influence of the alto saxophonist Steve Lehman.

— New York Times, "The Playlist: John Mayer Laments the Friend Zone, and 11 More New Songs," 11 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tenor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tenor

Middle English tenour, from Anglo-French, from Latin tenor uninterrupted course, from tenēre to hold — more at thin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 2a

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of tenor

tendency, trend, drift, tenor, current mean movement in a particular direction. tendency implies an inclination sometimes amounting to an impelling force.