Meaning & use
attune
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To help someone or something become used to, aware of and responsive to a particular situation, need or feeling.
Grammar: Takes an object and usually to: attune yourself to the rhythm.
Patterns
- attune yourself to something
- attune someone to something
It took weeks to attune her ear to the local accent.
Meditation helped him attune himself to the quiet moments of the day.
The training aims to attune new staff to customers' needs.
verbtransitiveraremusic
To adjust a musical instrument or sound so that it is properly in tune.
Grammar: A rare, older sense: attune the strings.
Patterns
- attune something to something
The musician attuned the harp before the concert.
She attuned the strings to match the piano.
The choir director attuned the voices to a single pitch.
Word forms
| third person singular | attunes |
|---|---|
| past tense | attuned |
| past participle | attuned |
| -ing form | attuning |
Common combinations
- attune yourself to
- You must attune yourself to the culture before you judge it.
- well attuned to
- The mayor is well attuned to the worries of local families.
- become attuned
- Over time, she became attuned to the baby's different cries.
- attuned to nature
- He is deeply attuned to nature and can read the weather.
- finely attuned
- A finely attuned ear can hear the difference between the two violins.
Synonyms and how they differ
- adapt
- Adapt means to change to suit conditions, while attune is about becoming sensitive and in step with them.
- accustom
- Accustom stresses getting used to something through habit, not always becoming more perceptive.
- harmonize
- Harmonize suggests bringing two things into agreement or balance, often musical or social.
- sensitize
- Sensitize means to make someone more aware or more reactive, and is more clinical in tone.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: attune or attain?
attune vs attain
Attain means to reach or achieve something, which is a different idea from becoming sensitive to it.
Practice
After a year abroad, she was fully ___ to the rhythms of the city.
Choose one answer.
Attuned to means responsive and in step with. Atoned means made up for a wrong, so it does not fit despite looking similar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “attune”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.