Meaning & use
untuned
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparablemusic
Not adjusted to the correct musical pitch.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after 'be', 'seem', 'sound': an untuned piano; the guitar sounds untuned.
Patterns
- an untuned instrument
- sound untuned
- leave something untuned
The old piano in the hall was badly untuned and painful to hear.
She picked up the untuned violin and tried to adjust the strings.
The choir sounded untuned at first, but they improved after warm-up.
adjectivenot comparabletechnical
Not set to receive a particular radio or television signal.
Grammar: Often used with 'radio' or 'television': an untuned radio produces only static.
Patterns
- an untuned radio
- an untuned television
- leave the radio untuned
He left the radio untuned, so all we heard was static.
An untuned television screen showed only snow and noise.
Common combinations
- untuned piano
- The untuned piano needed a professional visit.
- untuned guitar
- He played an untuned guitar and the chords sounded wrong.
- sound untuned
- The strings sound untuned after the move.
- leave something untuned
- Don't leave the instrument untuned for long.
Synonyms and how they differ
- out of tune
- This is the more common everyday phrase; 'untuned' is more formal and often suggests the instrument has not been tuned at all.
- off-pitch
- Off-pitch means slightly wrong in pitch; 'untuned' suggests the instrument itself has not been adjusted.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: untuned or unturned?
untuned vs unturned
'Unturned' means not flipped over or not examined; 'untuned' relates to pitch or signal adjustment.
Practice
The piano sounded _____ because nobody had adjusted its strings for years.
Choose one answer.
'Untuned' means not adjusted to the correct pitch, which fits a piano with neglected strings. 'Unturned' means not flipped, 'untied' means not fastened, and 'untouched' means not handled.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “untuned”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.