tonic

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable or uncountable

   A clear carbonated drink with a slightly bitter taste, often mixed with gin or used as a soft drink.

   Grammar: Use uncountable tonic for the drink as a substance; use a tonic or tonics for glasses, bottles, or types.

   Patterns

   • gin and tonic
   • tonic water
   • a bottle of tonic
   • tonic with something

   She poured tonic over ice and added a slice of lime.

   He ordered a gin and tonic while they waited for a table.

   This brand of tonic is less bitter than the others.

2. 2nouncountablefigurative

   Something that gives a person renewed energy, health, or a happier state of mind.

   Grammar: Usually singular with an or the: a tonic after a tiring week; not usually a plural in this figurative use.

   Patterns

   • a tonic for someone
   • a tonic after something
   • act as a tonic
   • prove a tonic

   A long walk by the sea was a tonic after the exam period.

   Good news from home acted as a tonic for the whole team.

   The garden proved a tonic during a difficult winter.

3. 3nouncountablemusic

   In music, the first note of a scale and the note that gives a key its feeling of home.

   Grammar: Countable and usually singular in a given key: the tonic of G major is G.

   Patterns

   • the tonic of a scale
   • the tonic of a key
   • resolve to the tonic
   • in the key of something, the tonic is something

   In C major, the tonic is C and the melody often returns to it.

   The chord felt unstable until it resolved to the tonic.

   Singers practice naming the tonic before starting the exercise.

Word forms

Common combinations

gin and tonic

They sat on the terrace with a gin and tonic.

tonic water

The tonic water was chilled and very fizzy.

a tonic for tired minds

An evening swim was a tonic for tired minds.

the tonic of the scale

Ask the students to hum the tonic of the scale.

a refreshing tonic

The cool rain felt like a refreshing tonic after the hot bus ride.

Synonyms and how they differ

soda water

Soda water is fizzy but usually neutral or salty, while tonic is bitter and often contains quinine.

pick-me-up

A pick-me-up is an informal lift in energy or mood; tonic is similar but can sound broader or more old-fashioned.

restorative

A restorative is something that restores strength or health; tonic often suggests a lighter boost in mood or vigor.

stimulant

A stimulant raises body or mind activity, often as a drug; tonic is usually a drink or a refreshing influence, not a technical drug term.

Opposites

Word family

tonic adjective

Used before nouns such as water; also means relating to tone or muscle tension in technical contexts.

tonicity noun

The firmness or tension of muscles, or the quality of tone in a tissue.

tonal adjective

Relating to tone, especially musical pitch or the organization of a key.

Commonly confused: tonic or toxic? tonic or tunic?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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