tenor

Synonym Chooser

How is the word tenor different from other nouns like it?

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.

the tenor of the times

When is current a more appropriate choice than tenor?

While the synonyms current and tenor are close in meaning, current implies a clearly defined but not necessarily unalterable course.

an encounter that changed the current of my life

In what contexts can drift take the place of tenor?

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.

the drift of the population away from large cities
got the drift of her argument

When might tendency be a better fit than tenor?

Although the words tendency and tenor have much in common, tendency implies an inclination sometimes amounting to an impelling force.

a general tendency toward inflation

When would trend be a good substitute for tenor?

The meanings of trend and tenor largely overlap; however, trend applies to the general direction maintained by a winding or irregular course.

the long-term trend of the stock market is upward

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tenor His hysterical and paranoid tenor made this easy to dismiss as excuse-making for his difficulties governing in his first term and his myriad legal problems. Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2025 But on Thursday afternoon, on a call that included Otto Benedict, who oversees the SoFi campus, and an LAPD battalion chief, the tenor changed. Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2025 The Los Angeles Times' current news coverage doesn't reflect the tenor of Soon-Shiong's posts, either, even though his X account identifies him as the paper's executive chairman. David Folkenflik, NPR, 3 Feb. 2025 Instead, as sets burned to the ground, new locations were scouted the next day, the Oscars delayed the announcement of nominations, the Grammys decided to carry on as planned but transitioned the tenor of the evening to that of a fundraiser for musicians who lost everything in the fires. Harmony Holiday, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for tenor 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tenor
Noun
  • Trump, of course, has already gone ahead with 10% tariffs on China.
    STAN CHOE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, arkansasonline.com, 11 Feb. 2025
  • What constitutes such legitimate power is, of course, recursively in the hands of the executive, which is another way of saying Trump really should be above all other branches of government.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • If your closet could use a refresh, there’s no need to splurge—Amazon has a treasure trove of spring-ready styles, including flowy maxis, charming floral frocks, and classic wrap dresses.
    Kaitlin Marks, Southern Living, 7 Feb. 2025
  • Choose styles and fabrics that don’t hide your hourglass shape and softly highlight your hips and bust while defining your waist.
    BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The refiners are given very unconventional directions to the cave.
    Erin Qualey, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2025
  • Only a less delusional motivation, a larger conception of self-interest, can move the world in a less delusional direction.
    Winslow Myers, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Poppies have a tendency to self-sow or naturalize in the garden.
    Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 15 Feb. 2025
  • The enclosures surround the vehicles’ lithium ion batteries, which have a tendency to spontaneously ignite at extremely hot temperatures that are difficult for firefighters to suppress.
    Katherine Love, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • In some instances, the glasses got the correct gist across but failed to capture some nuances of what was being said to me.
    Victoria Song, The Verge, 24 Jan. 2025
  • His gist is both elegant and internally consistent as well as wholly unique.
    Abraham Josephine Riesman, Vulture, 29 July 2024
Noun
  • Police Conley noted two instances for which Colbert was charged with drugging another person, once in Nevada in 2022 and another time in Jefferson Parish, La., though the chief did not provide details on either incident or information of the disposition of those cases.
    Liam Quinn, People.com, 7 Feb. 2025
  • Had there been any discipline, the final disposition of discipline and specific reasons for the discipline would have been public data under state law.
    Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 31 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Aluf Benn, editor of the left-wing Haaretz newspaper, writes that the support reflects a mainstream drift toward the once-marginal ideas of the followers of the late far-right Rabbi Meir Kahane, whose party was outlawed as racist.
    Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Feb. 2025
  • An Omaha freight train was stalled in a drift west of Jordan Sunday night.
    Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • But Trump has shown no inclination to adhere to the separation of powers that gives a lead role to Congress.
    David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2025
  • Western inclinations were prevalent, especially in the tiny floral details that were emblazoned throughout the number.
    Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 3 Feb. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near tenor

Cite this Entry

“Tenor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tenor. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on tenor

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