Definition of tone

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Scrabble & Words with friends points

  • tone is a valid Scrabble US word with a point value of 4
  • tone is a valid Scrabble UK word with a point value of 4
  • tone is a valid Words with friends word with a point value of 5

Definition of tone

  • a quality of a given color that differs slightly from another color (noun)

    Synonyms

    1. shade
    2. tincture
    3. tint
  • the elastic tension of living muscles, arteries, etc. that facilitate response to stimuli (noun)

    Synonyms

    1. tonicity
    2. tonus
  • the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people (noun)

    Examples

    1. a clergyman improved the tone of the meeting

    Synonyms

    1. feel
    2. feeling
    3. flavor
    4. flavour
    5. look
    6. smell
    7. spirit
  • a notation representing the pitch and duration of a musical sound (noun)

    Synonyms

    1. musical note
    2. note
  • give a healthy elasticity to (verb)

    Examples

    1. Let's tone our muscles

    Synonyms

    1. strengthen
    2. tone up
  • (music) the distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound) (noun)

    Examples

    1. the muffled tones of the broken bell summoned them to meet

    Synonyms

    1. quality
    2. timber
    3. timbre
  • a musical interval of two semitones (noun)

    Synonyms

    1. step
    2. whole step
    3. whole tone
  • the quality of a person's voice (noun)

    Examples

    1. he began in a conversational tone
    2. he spoke in a nervous tone of voice

    Synonyms

    1. tone of voice
  • vary the pitch of one's speech (verb)

    Synonyms

    1. inflect
    2. modulate
  • utter monotonously and repetitively and rhythmically (verb)

    Synonyms

    1. chant
    2. intone
  • a steady sound without overtones (noun)

    Examples

    1. they tested his hearing with pure tones of different frequencies

    Synonyms

    1. pure tone
  • change the color or tone of (verb)

    Examples

    1. tone a negative
  • change to a color image (verb)

    Examples

    1. tone a photographic image
  • (linguistics) a pitch or change in pitch of the voice that serves to distinguish words in tonal languages (noun)

    Examples

    1. the Beijing dialect uses four tones
  • the quality of something (an act or a piece of writing) that reveals the attitudes and presuppositions of the author (noun)

    Examples

    1. the general tone of articles appearing in the newspapers is that the government should withdraw
    2. from the tone of her behavior I gathered that I had outstayed my welcome

See definition of tone in Merriam Webster