overtone
English · Thesaurus
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overtone
- /ˈoʊvɚtoʊn/ US
- /ˈəʊ.və.təʊn/ UK
Where it comes from
From over- + tone, calque of German Oberton.
noun overtones
- A tone whose frequency is an integer multiple of another; a member of the harmonic series.
-
An implicit message (in a film, book, verbal discussion, or similar) perceived as overwhelming the explicit message.
A window opened above the shop, and a frowsty-looking man, yellow-pale, was quickly and nervously hauling in the national flag. There were shouts of derision and mockery—a great overtone of acrid derision—the flag and its owner ignominiously disappeared.
Opposite: undertone
-
An implicit message (in a film, book, verbal discussion, or similar) perceived subtly alongside, but not overwhelming, the explicit message.
It has already been established that the crew was competent and qualified for operation of AS66. With the exception of some overtones of irritation about the manner in which another aircraft, N799Y, affected the flight's progress into the Juneau area, the recorded cockpit conversation, in general, r
Similar: undertone, undercurrent
verb overtones · overtoning · overtoned
- To give an overtone to. The flesh tints appear to have been darkened by being overworked; the draperies are overtoned in the same way […]
Translations
Every language
noun implicit meaning
| Español | implicación, connotación, sobreentendido |
|---|---|
| Français | sous-entendu, connotation |
| Русский | подте́кст podtékst, намёк namjók, скрытый смысл skrytyj smysl, оберто́н obertón, но́тка nótka |
noun harmonic
| Español | sobretono, difónico |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 倍音 baion |
| 中文 | 泛音 fànyīn, 汎音 /泛音 |
| Français | partiel, harmonique |
| Deutsch | Oberton |
| Русский | оберто́н obertón, гармо́ника garmónika |
Talk about this word "overtone." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/overtone. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. overtone. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/overtone "overtone." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/overtone.Cite this
@misc{overtone_2026,
title = {overtone},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/overtone},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
