tenor

tenor — noun

1. a man whose natural singing voice sits in the highest usual adult male range; al

1.nounB1
Definition

a man whose natural singing voice sits in the highest usual adult male range; also, any musical instrument built to play within that same section of notes

Example

Eleni booked a tenor to sing at her wedding ceremony last spring.

collocation: book a tenor for an event

The choir director asked for one more tenor to balance the four vocal sections.

tenor as a section in a choir

Common collocations
  • tenor voice
  • tenor saxophone
  • tenor drum
  • tenor section
  • lead tenor
  • dramatic tenor
  • sing tenor
Synonyms
  • countertenor

    an even higher male voice that uses a special technique to reach into the alto/female range; rarer and more specialised than tenor

  • baritone

    the male voice range directly below tenor; lower and fuller in sound

Antonyms
  • bass

    the lowest male voice range, opposite of tenor in pitch

Usage Note

In choral music, the tenor part sits between the alto (higher female voice) and the baritone (lower male voice). A tenor instrument — such as the tenor saxophone, tenor drum, or tenor trombone — covers a range comparable to the human tenor voice.

Common Mistakes

The tenor section sang the highest notes in the choir.
The soprano section sang the highest notes; the tenor section sang the middle-to-high male part.
Tenor is the highest typical male voice, not the highest voice overall (soprano is).

2. the overall direction, basic character, or essential meaning that runs through a

2.nounB2
Definition

the overall direction, basic character, or essential meaning that runs through a piece of writing, a speech, or a conversation

Example

The general tenor of the meeting was one of cautious optimism about the budget.

the general tenor of [something] + complement

Ilan understood the tenor of the letter even before reading the final paragraph.

Common collocations
  • the general tenor of
  • the overall tenor of
  • the tenor of the times
  • the tenor of the discussion
  • the tenor of the remarks
Synonyms
  • gist

    more informal and shorter; refers specifically to the core point rather than the overall character

  • drift

    slightly informal; suggests the direction or tendency of the argument

  • thrust

    emphasises the main point or central message, especially in an argument

Grammar Patterns

the tenor of [something]

Usage Note

This sense is almost always used with the definite article ("the tenor of…") and is often preceded by an adjective such as general, overall, angry, optimistic, or cautious. It refers to the impression the whole text or event gives, not a single detail.

Common Mistakes

The tenor of his speech was about the economy.
The overall message of his speech was about the economy.
Use 'tenor' for the mood or character of something, not the topic itself.
He spoke in a friendly tenor.
He spoke in a friendly tone.
For vocal quality or manner of speaking, use 'tone'; 'tenor' refers to the general meaning or direction of what is said.

tenor — adjective

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four terms label male voice types by pitch range. A tenor is the highest natural male voice, commonly heard in opera and choral music. A countertenor uses a special falsetto or head-voice technique to sing even higher, reaching into the range normally sung by a female alto — it is a rarer and more specialised voice type than tenor. A baritone sits directly below the tenor, with a warmer, fuller sound that bridges the lower and upper parts of the male range. A bass is the lowest male voice, producing deep, rumbling notes that form the foundation of a choir. For example, a choir may have two basses and three baritones on the low end, but only one or two tenors on the high male part — and a countertenor is unusual enough that many amateur groups do not have one at all.

countertenorbaritonebass ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • tenor voice
  • tenor saxophone
  • tenor drum
  • tenor part
  • tenor section
  • tenor solo

Phrases

  • the general tenor of
  • the overall tenor of
  • the tenor of the times

Prepositions

  • tenor of

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'tenor' entered English from Old French 'tenour', which came from Latin 'tenor' meaning 'a continuous course or uninterrupted flow'. In medieval music, the tenor was the voice part that 'held' (from Latin 'tenere', to hold) the main melody while other voices wove around it. Over time, the focus shifted from the part's structural role to its pitch range — the highest natural male voice. Meanwhile, the older sense of 'continuous course' evolved into the modern abstract meaning: the general direction or character of something.