monotone

American  

[mon-uh-tohn] / ˈmɒn əˌtoʊn /

noun

1. a vocal utterance or series of speech sounds in one unvaried tone.

2. a single tone without harmony or variation in pitch.

3. recitation or singing of words in such a tone.

4. a person who is unable to discriminate between or to reproduce differences in musical pitch, especially in singing.

5. sameness of tone or color, sometimes to a boring degree.

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adjective

1. monotonous.

2. consisting of or characterized by a uniform tone of one color.

   a monotone drape.

3. Mathematics. monotonic.

monotone British  

/ ˈmɒnəˌtəʊn /

noun

1. a single unvaried pitch level in speech, sound, etc

2. utterance, etc, without change of pitch

3. lack of variety in style, expression. etc

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adjective

1. unvarying or monotonous

2. Also: monotonic.  maths (of a sequence or function) consistently increasing or decreasing in value

Etymology

Origin of monotone

1635–45; < French monotone < Late Greek monótonos monotonous

Explanation

Monotone is a droning, unchanging tone. Nothing can put you to sleep quite as effectively as a teacher talking in a monotone. The Greek word for "one tone" is monotonia, which is the root for both monotone and the closely-related word monotonous, which means "dull and tedious." A continuous sound, especially someone's voice, that doesn't rise and fall in pitch, is a monotone. When someone speaks in a monotone, his voice is flat and boring — plus listeners don't know how the speaker is feeling when everything sounds the same.

Example Sentences

By the Monotone Convergence Theorem, we conclude that ⎨S ⎬ converges,

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

We close this section with the Monotone Convergence Theorem, a tool we can use to prove that certain types of sequences converge.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

But they kept Merge going, too, as an outlet for their own one-off singles and side projects, plus releases by friends' bands including Polvo, Finger and Erectus Monotone.

From Salon • Sep. 29, 2011

For Monotone, the projection is of a mixing desk, with four volume controls, one for each musician.

From The Guardian • Apr. 13, 2011

All day I hear the noise of waters Making moan, Sad as the sea-bird is when, going Forth alone, He hears the winds cry to the water's Monotone.

From Chamber Music by Joyce, James