tone down
(adverb) to moderate or become moderated in tone: to tone down an argument; to tone down a bright colour
Words Nearby tone down
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
How to use tone down in a sentence
Johnson urged conservatives to tone down their rhetoric to try to broaden the base.
Conservative Senator Kicks Tea Party to the Curb | David Freedlander | May 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAll leaders involved have to tone down their “explanations” and self-justifications.
Progressives would be wise to tone down the triumphalism—at least in the run up to midterms.
Could Progressive Wins Mean Democratic Losses in Midterms? | Keli Goff | March 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSpeechwriter Mark Katz quickly scrambled to tone down the jokes.
Now they are joining forces—politically and in business—to urge their parties to tone down the negativity and personal attacks.
Two Partisan Warriors, Michael Steele and Lanny Davis, Going Purple | Howard Kurtz | June 18, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
They tone down its severity of style, and cast gently into it a mellowed light akin to that of the “dim religious” order.
Our Churches and Chapels | AtticusUsually only an exceedingly small amount of its complement is needed to tone down a given color.
Philippine Mats | Hugo H. MillerFirst, as a form in repose, she will tone down savage life, and pave the way from feeling to thought.
The Aesthetical Essays | Friedrich SchillerHe anticipates success, but is gradually learning to tone down his enthusiasm, realizing that difficulties beset his way.
Miss Caprice | St. George RathborneIt is very difficult for the Muscular to "tone down" this powerful voice.
How to Analyze People on Sight | Elsie Lincoln Benedict and Ralph Paine Benedict
Other Idioms and Phrases with tone down
Make less vivid, harsh, or violent; moderate. For example, That's a little too much rouge; I'd tone it down a bit, or Do you think I should tone down this letter of complaint? This idiom uses tone in the sense of “adjust the tone or quality of something,” as does the antonym, tone up, meaning “brighten or strengthen.” For example, These curtains will tone up the whole room, or This exercise is said to tone up the triceps. [Mid-1800s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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