From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishthe tenor of somethingthe tenor of somethingformal a) WAY/MANNERthe general way in which an event or process takes place SYN tone Many voters admitted being disturbed by the tenor of the election campaign. b) MEANINGthe general meaning of something written or spoken, or the general attitude expressed in it SYN tone the general tenor of her speech → tenor
Examples from the Corpus
general tenor• I am not against the general tenor of that which is sought.• Macmillan himself noted that Britain could do little by herself, but was encouraged by the general tenor of Dulles's remarks.• In many ways I sympathize with the general tenor of this complaint, as may quickly become apparent.• The general tenor of the letters, the thread that ran through the vast majority soon became clear.• The general tenor of those reports is that while much has been achieved, a very great deal remains to be done. 