timbre
Acoustics, Phonetics. the characteristic quality of a sound, independent of pitch and loudness, from which its source or manner of production can be inferred. Timbre depends on the relative strengths of the components of different frequencies, which are determined by resonance.
Music. the characteristic quality of sound produced by a particular instrument or voice; tone color.
characteristic tone of expression: the masterful rhythm and timbre of his writing.
Origin of timbre
1Words that may be confused with timbre
- timber, timbre
Words Nearby timbre
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use timbre in a sentence
Squint hard and some of her melodies and timbres start to resemble those of Vashti Bunyan, or Elliott Smith, or Hope Sandoval, but each of those impressions tend to vanish faster than they form.
This new Grouper album, ‘Shade,’ is life-affirming in ways you might not remember | Chris Richards | October 25, 2021 | Washington PostThere’s the timbre and pitch, which refer to where a voice falls on a span of notes from low to high.
AI-Savvy Criminals Clone Executive’s Voice in $35 Million Deepfake Bank Heist | Vanessa Bates Ramirez | October 20, 2021 | Singularity HubThe timbre of Willie’s distinctive voice and the swirling guitar work of Tame Impala expressed nuances that can get buried on less competent gear.
Sennheiser IE 300 review: A new old-school approach to audio | Roberto Baldwin | September 8, 2021 | Popular-ScienceThe first predicts, from a passage of text, the broad strokes of what a speaker will sound like—including accent, pitch, and timbre.
AI voice actors sound more human than ever—and they’re ready to hire | Karen Hao | July 9, 2021 | MIT Technology ReviewNow the original question — how much you care about getting as many people as possible who are eligible to vote to actually do so — takes on a new timbre.
Expanding voting is not simply the political inverse of limiting voting | Philip Bump | March 26, 2021 | Washington Post
He has a voice not dissimilar in timbre and penetrative ability to the incredibly annoying comedian Stephen Merchant.
The power, timbre, and range of her voice made her performance the best part of the night.
I'm Not Country or Pop. I'm Just Pure Garth Brooks. | David Masciotra | September 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe cat ceased snarling and presently began a loud purring which seemed to increase in timbre as he stroked her.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show | Robert W. Chambers | February 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTYou can see this poetry realized in the timbre and pace of the “mad as hell” speech.
Paddy Chayefsky: The Dark Prophet of ‘Network’ News | Tim Teeman | February 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEach of the clones behaves in her own unique way, each with her own distinctive body language, timbre, and sensibilities.
Emmy Awards’ Dark Horse Nominee: Tatiana Maslany of ‘Orphan Black’ | Jace Lacob | June 12, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTIt was not an ordinary blast, but had a peculiarly musical timbre, very much like the note of a mouth-organ.
He had the gift of telling a story: some peculiar timbre in the voice, some direct dramatic touch.
When Valmond Came to Pontiac, Complete | Gilbert ParkerThis variety in the shape of the waves results in the difference in timbre between various tones.
Spirit and Music | H. Ernest HuntCarrying the same principle into song, we find that a voice naturally shows the timbre appropriate to the mood.
Spirit and Music | H. Ernest HuntHer voice was a modified edition of her mother's, lazy, rich and sweet, but with keener timbre.
Southern Hearts | Florence Hull Winterburn
British Dictionary definitions for timbre
/ (ˈtɪmbə, ˈtæmbə, French tɛ̃brə) /
phonetics the distinctive tone quality differentiating one vowel or sonant from another
music tone colour or quality of sound, esp a specific type of tone colour
Origin of timbre
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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