intonation

American  

[in-toh-nay-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.

---

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

---

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

On the highlight “Waist Deep,” a piano-led pop number with a chord progression that recalls John Lennon’s “Watching the Wheels,” her intonation is simple and clear, content to let the melody do the emotional work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

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

So every weekend we had a Zoom and taught her the rhythm, intonation, subtext.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2024

A number of YouTube videos provide comparisons that you can listen to, for example comparisons of just intonation and equal temperament, or comparisons of various temperaments.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

On set, Strong, who is famous for his extensive preparation, maintained Zuckerberg’s intonations even when cameras weren’t rolling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

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

The 19-year-old Brooklyn drill artist known as Pop Smoke took the sonic template from Chief Keef nearly a decade earlier, but added his own deep, husky intonations for a one-of-a-kind spin on the sound.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2023

It has Rosario intonations, it's something someone's grandmother might say.

From BBC ● May 29, 2023

Laila marveled at her daughter’s manner of speech, her cadence and rhythm, her thoughtful pauses and intonations, so adult, so at odds with the immature body that housed the voice.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---