What does "tenor" mean?
A musical range or section higher than bass and lower than alto.
Tenor
adj, noun, slang
adj, noun, slang ·2 syllables ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A musical range or section higher than bass and lower than alto.
- Grammar: tenor is listed as adj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: accompaniment, affective meaning, aim, alto.
- Useful contrasts: alto, altos, baritone.
- Usage evidence: The tenor of the report is fairly negative.
How to use "tenor"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tenor" 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 "tenor" 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 "tenor" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tenor" 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 "tenor" is acting as adj, noun, slang 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 "accompaniment" 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 "tenor", 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 A musical range or section higher than bass and lower than alto. countable, uncountable
- 2 the pitch range of the highest male voice wordnet
- 3 A person, instrument, or group that performs in the tenor (higher than bass and lower than alto) range. countable, uncountable
- 4 the general meaning or substance of an utterance wordnet
- 5 A musical part or section that holds or performs the main melody, as opposed to the contratenor bassus and contratenor altus, who perform countermelodies. archaic, countable, uncountable
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 a settled or prevailing or habitual course of a person's life wordnet
- 7 The lowest tuned in a ring of bells. countable, uncountable
- 8 the adult male singing voice above baritone wordnet
- 9 Tone, as of a conversation. countable, uncountable
"Colonel Walton, who had striven to check the conversation at moments when he became conscious of its tenor, now gladly engaged his guest on other and more legitimate topics."
- 10 an adult male with a tenor voice wordnet
- 11 duration; continuance; a state of holding on in a continuous course; general tendency; career. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"It is the conſciouſneſs of this merited approbation and eſteem which is alone capable of ſupporting the agent in this tenour of conduct."
- 12 The subject in a metaphor to which attributes are ascribed. countable, uncountable
- 13 Time to maturity of a bond. countable, uncountable
- 14 Stamp; character; nature. countable, uncountable
"This success would look like chance, if it were perpetual, and always of the same tenor."
- 15 An exact copy of a writing, set forth in the words and figures of it. It differs from purport, which is only the substance or general import of the instrument. countable, uncountable
"Than he shall delyuer to vs a tenour of that he ought to do."
- 16 That course of thought which holds on through a discourse; the general drift or course of thought; purport; intent; meaning; understanding. countable, uncountable
"When it [the bond] is paid according to the tenor."
- 17 A tenor saxophone. colloquial, countable, uncountable
Adjective
- 1 Of or pertaining to the tenor part or range. not-comparable
"He has a tenor voice."
Adjective
- 1 of or close in range to the highest natural adult male voice wordnet
- 2 (of a musical instrument) intermediate between alto and baritone or bass wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The tenor of the report is fairly negative."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tenor"?
Common synonyms include: accompaniment, affective meaning, aim, alto, apograph, aria singer.
How do you use "tenor" in a sentence?
The tenor of the report is fairly negative.
Etymology
From Middle English tenour, from Anglo-Norman tenour, from Old French tenor (“substance, contents, meaning, sense; tenor part in music”), from Latin tenor (“course, continuance; holder”), from teneō (“I hold”). In music, from the notion of the one who holds the melody, as opposed to the countertenor.