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- Dictionaryundertone/ˈʌndətəʊn/
noun
- 1. a subdued or muted tone of sound or colour: "they were talking in undertones" Similar Opposite
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UNDERTONE definition: 1. a particular but not obvious characteristic that a piece of writing or speech, an event, or a…. Learn more.
1. : a low or subdued utterance or accompanying sound. 2. : a quality (as of emotion) underlying the surface of an utterance or action. 3. : a subdued color. specifically : a color seen through and modifying another color. Examples of undertone in a Sentence. She commented in an undertone that the music was really not very good.
If something has undertones of a particular kind, it suggests ideas or attitudes of this kind without expressing them directly. The sobbing voice had an undertone of anger. ...a witty, racy story with surprisingly serious undertones.
An undertone is a muted color or sound, like the blue undertones in your new gray wallpaper or the undertones of murmured conversations in a busy restaurant. When someone speaks in an undertone, it means that they whisper or talk very softly.
a particular but not obvious characteristic that a piece of writing or speech, an event, or a situation has: I thought her speech had slightly sinister undertones. undertone of It was a comedy act with an undertone of cruelty. [ C ] a color, smell, flavor, etc. that is part of something but not the most obvious part:
undertone (of something) a feeling, quality or meaning that is not expressed directly but can still be understood from what somebody says or does synonym undercurrent. His soft words contained an undertone of warning. The play does not have the political undertones of the novel. compare overtone.
n. 1. a low or subdued tone: to speak in undertones. 2. an unobtrusive or background sound. 3. an underlying quality or element; undercurrent: an undertone of regret in his voice. 4. a subdued color; a color modified by an underlying color. [1800]
UNDERTONE meaning: 1 : a low or quiet voice; 2 : a quality, meaning, etc., that is present but not clear or obvious often + of.
The earliest known use of the noun undertone is in the mid 1700s. OED's earliest evidence for undertone is from 1762, in a letter by David Garrick, actor and playwright. undertone is formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: under- prefix1, tone n. See etymology.
Definitions of 'undertone' 1. If you say something in an undertone, you say it very quietly. [...] 2. If something has undertones of a particular kind, it suggests ideas or attitudes of this kind without expressing them directly. [...] More. Pronunciations of 'undertone' American English: ʌndərtoʊn British English: ʌndəʳtoʊn. More.
