Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

overtone

American  
[oh-ver-tohn] / ˈoʊ vərˌtoʊn /

noun

  1. Music. an acoustical frequency that is higher in frequency than the fundamental.

  2. an additional, usually subsidiary and implicit meaning or quality.

    an aesthetic theory with definite political overtones.
    Synonyms:
    hint, intimation, suggestion, insinuation
overtone British  
/ ˈəʊvəˌtəʊn /

noun

  1. (often plural) additional meaning or nuance

    overtones of despair

  2. music acoustics any of the tones, with the exception of the fundamental, that constitute a musical sound and contribute to its quality, each having a frequency that is a multiple of the fundamental frequency See also harmonic partial

"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
overtone Scientific  
/ ō′vər-tōn′ /

  1. See under harmonic

Etymology

Origin of overtone

1865–70; translation of German Oberton. See over-, tone

Vocabulary lists containing overtone

Waves and Wave Properties - Middle School

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Waves and Wave Properties - High School

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Physics - Middle School

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This was one of the first ales he made in his Overtone brewery in Glasgow.

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026

McLeod is resigning to launch Overtone, an AI-driven dating app in the early stages of development.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 9, 2025

Match said McLeod and a team spent much of 2025 developing Overtone and the company fully supports it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 9, 2025

With Internet connectivity comes information overload, though, which ironically can make us feel disconnected, said O-Lan Jones, whose Overtone Industries puts on the immersive, participatory Spontaneous Combustion Choir.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2016

Overtone, ō′vėr-tōn, n. a harmonic, because heard above its fundamental tone.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.