tone

Meanings

1. 1nounsingular

   The attitude or feeling conveyed by the way someone speaks or writes.

   Grammar: Usually singular, with a describing word: a friendly tone.

   Patterns

   • in a tone
   • the tone of something

   I didn't like her tone, even though her words were polite.

   The email had a formal tone.

   He spoke in a calm tone to keep everyone relaxed.

2. 2nouncountable

   A sound with a particular pitch, quality, or length.

   Grammar: Countable: a high tone; the dial tone.

   The phone gave a loud tone before the message began.

   The violin has a warm, rich tone.

3. 3nouncountable

   A shade or variety of a color.

   Grammar: Often used with warm or cool: a warm tone.

   The room is painted in soft earth tones.

   She chose a darker tone for the curtains.

4. 4verbtransitive

   To make a body or muscle firmer and stronger through exercise.

   Grammar: Takes an object, often followed by up: tone your legs, tone up your arms.

   Patterns

   • tone something up
   • tone something

   Swimming helps tone the arms and shoulders.

   She goes to class twice a week to tone up.

Word forms

Common combinations

set the tone

The opening scene sets the tone for the whole film.

tone of voice

Don't use that tone of voice with me.

friendly tone

The letter had a friendly tone.

mood and tone

The author's tone is hopeful.

lower the tone

Let's not lower the tone of the discussion.

Synonyms and how they differ

mood

Describes the feeling of a place, scene, or person, not how something is said.

manner

Covers behavior and way of acting, not just voice.

shade

Is used for color and is the closer match for that sense.

Word family

toned adjective

having firm, fit muscles

tonal adjective

relating to tone or pitch

toneless adjective

without expression

Commonly confused: tone or tune?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “tone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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