intonation

American  

[in-toh-ney-shuhn, -tuh-] / ˌɪn toʊˈneɪ ʃən, -tə- /

noun

intonations plural

1. the pattern or melody of pitch changes in connected speech, especially the pitch pattern of a sentence, which distinguishes kinds of sentences or speakers of different language cultures.

2. the act or manner of intonating.

3. the manner of producing musical tones, specifically the relation in pitch of tones to their key or harmony.

4. something that is intoned or chanted.

5. the opening phrase in a Gregorian chant, usually sung by one or two voices.

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intonation British  

/ ˌɪntəʊˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. the sound pattern of phrases and sentences produced by pitch variation in the voice

2. the act or manner of intoning

3. an intoned, chanted, or monotonous utterance; incantation

4. music the opening of a piece of plainsong, sung by a soloist

5. music

   1. the correct or accurate pitching of intervals

   2. the capacity to play or sing in tune See also just intonation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intonational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• intonations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of intonation

First recorded in 1610–20, intonation is from the Medieval Latin word intonātiōn- (stem of intonātiō ). See intonate, -ion

Explanation

Even if your friend claims she's not upset by the death of her pet iguana, her intonation may tell a different story. Intonation means the way someone's voice rises and falls as they're speaking. Your emotions, your regional accent, or just the particular way you're used to speaking can all affect the intonation of your voice. There's something musical in the way people speak, and intonation describes that musicality. The word also means "producing musical tones," either with your voice or a musical instrument. Another kind of intonation is chanting, or half-speaking, half-singing your words.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intonation intonations

In “Quisiera Saber,” Rubio beckons to someone she desires but cannot have in a dreamy intonation, channeling Lana del Rey and backed by percussion and strings reserved for boleros romanticos.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2025

Earshot also analysed Sheikh Hasina's speech – the rhythm, intonation and breath sounds - and identified consistent noise floor levels, finding no evidence of synthetic artefacts in the audio.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2025

He tried to focus on his mannerisms, on the intonation of his voice.

From Salon ● Jan. 7, 2025

But in the second version, the added focus, through intonation, implies that "toy" contrasts with the previously discussed "blicket."

From Science Daily ● Nov. 21, 2024

What’s left after content-filtering is a kind of garble that preserves intonation, pitch, and rhythm but erases content.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

The Spanish is archaic, the intonations are complicated, and the words tumble over themselves like a hard charge toward the goal posts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

His personality is conveyed through the different intonations in which he delivers his name.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2024

Birds squawked in weird intonations, a few stars dotted a purplish sky, and the temperature felt like it dropped several degrees.

From National Geographic ● Jan. 4, 2024

It's now possible for AI to take three seconds of human speech and then hold forth at length with its same patterns and intonations in an exact mimicry.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 22, 2023

Every night I’ve gone over it, again and again in bed, struggling to get the intonations right and strike the perfect nasal tone.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau