intonation
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.
the act or manner of intonating.
the manner of producing musical tones, specifically the relation in pitch of tones to their key or harmony.
something that is intoned or chanted.
the opening phrase in a Gregorian chant, usually sung by one or two voices.
Origin of intonation
1Other words from intonation
- in·to·na·tion·al, adjective
Words Nearby intonation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use intonation in a sentence
When Odom, with his buttery intonation and supple phrasing, performs “A Change Is Gonna Come,” he’s not so much impersonating Cooke as channeling him.
One Night in Miami Blends Fact and Fiction to Bring Civil Rights-Era Luminaries to Life | Stephanie Zacharek | January 15, 2021 | TimeAt a recent Zoom practice session, she offered comments on the wording of their speeches, the intonations, the gestures.
‘I’m Going to Say It From the Heart.’ America’s Reckoning on Race Has Come to High School Speech and Debate | Brian Seto McGrath | December 25, 2020 | TimeAt intervening moments, the engaging Kwong announces in the intonations of a game show host, “It’s puzzle time!”
With playhouses dark, interactive theater online is lighting things up | Peter Marks | October 29, 2020 | Washington PostWheeler’s job was to re-record each snippet in his own voice, matching the exact rhythm and intonation.
Inside the strange new world of being a deepfake actor | Karen Hao | October 9, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewIn addition to the intonation changes, Alexa will now take turns speaking like a conversation.
Amazon’s Fall 2020 products announcements include a security camera drone that flies around your house | Stan Horaczek | September 24, 2020 | Popular-Science
Black English is also intonation, which is a powerful rhetorical tool.
For a President Today, Talkin' Down Is Speaking American | John McWhorter | August 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWith nine tones, each sound pronounced in a different intonation changes its meaning.
Wardrobe, mannerisms, and intonation are fair game, and Chu certainly has his detractors there.
How I Taught Arthur Chu to Be the ‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Everyone Loves to Hate | Keith Williams | February 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTYou can say it on the radio because you have the voice and the intonation, but that is totally different in print.
North Dormer took the Mountain for granted, and implied its disparagement by an intonation rather than by explicit criticism.
Summer | Edith WhartonBut in all these instances it is the intonation of the word as such, not of the sentence, which is primarily concerned.
The Modes of Ancient Greek Music | David Binning Monro"I haven't eaten anything for twenty-four hours," he said, with a whistling intonation.
With Edged Tools | Henry Seton MerrimanAs for Susanna's own accent, she comes from the heart of Aberdeenshire, and her intonation is beyond my power to reproduce.
Penelope's Experiences in Scotland | Kate Douglas WigginDan had given to his last words a weird, mournful intonation whose effect was startling.
A Hoosier Chronicle | Meredith Nicholson
British Dictionary definitions for intonation
/ (ˌɪntəʊˈneɪʃən) /
the sound pattern of phrases and sentences produced by pitch variation in the voice
the act or manner of intoning
an intoned, chanted, or monotonous utterance; incantation
music the opening of a piece of plainsong, sung by a soloist
music
the correct or accurate pitching of intervals
the capacity to play or sing in tune: See also just intonation
Derived forms of intonation
- intonational, adjective
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
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