undertone
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undertone
- /ˈʌndə(ɹ)təʊn/
noun undertones
- An auditory tone of low pitch or volume. Did he and his master converse? Watt had never heard them do so, as he surely would have done, if they had done so. In an undertone perhaps. Yes, perhaps they conversed in undertones, the master and the servant, in two undertones, the master's undertone, the servant's undertone.
-
An implicit message perceived subtly alongside, but not detracting noticeably from, the explicit message conveyed in or by a book, film, speech or similar (contrast with overtone); an undercurrent.
This context colours the Heidebad incident in darker undertones.
Opposite: overtone
- A pale colour, or one seen underneath another colour.
- A low state of the physical faculties. Sedentary occupations are likely to result in undertone, and this undertone not being relieved by physiological means, constipation is a probable outcome.
Similar: underhue
verb undertones · undertoning · undertoned
- To accompany as an undertone. The Missionary's address rolled on in choppy Chinook, undertoned by a gentle voice from the back of the room which told Tanook in pure Indian words what he was to do.
- To say or speak in an undertone. Evan paid no attention to him, and answered none of his hasty undertoned questions.
-
To present as less important, noticeable or prominent.
Men rarely make this mistake, their habitual blunder being to undertone everything, to make too light of Julia's new frock, and Johnnie's symptoms of measles, and the way they waste things down stairs.
Similar: de-emphasize, downplay
Opposite: accent, accentuate
Thesaurus
noun
Similar: underhue
verb
Opposite: accent, accentuate
Translations
Every language
noun auditory tone
| Română | ton slab, ton reținut, semiton |
|---|---|
| Русский | приглушённый го́лос priglušónnyj gólos |
noun implied meaning
| Español | infratono, subtono |
|---|---|
| Français | sous-entendu |
| Deutsch | Unterton, Beigeschmack |
| Română | subînțeles |
| Русский | подте́кст podtékst |
Talk about this word "undertone." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/undertone. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. undertone. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/undertone "undertone." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/undertone.Cite this
@misc{undertone_2026,
title = {undertone},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/undertone},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
