1925–30; < German, equivalent to Helden- combining form of Held hero + Tenor tenor
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That said, Saturday night was a fireworks show, including a trio of stunner main-stage debuts from soprano Pretty Yende, British heldentenor David Butt Philip and bass-baritone Christian Van Horn.
From Washington Post • Nov. 7, 2021
He is a heldentenor, which he means he has a super-powered, dramatic, heroic-sounding voice that is suited to Wagner epics.
From The Guardian • Dec. 4, 2018
With his powerful heldentenor voice, Mr. Vickers revealed the danger within the twisted psyche of the ostracized fisherman.
From New York Times • Jul. 12, 2015
The largely German cast provided delightful diction, with Vogt looking and sounding the part of a Wagnerian heldentenor.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 19, 2010
What the opera world needs most right now is a new Wagnerian soprano or a hefty heldentenor, but that is not what the fans are looking for.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
