low-pitched
Americanadjective
-
pitched in a low register or key.
a low-pitched aria for the basso.
-
produced by slow vibrations; relatively grave in pitch or soft in sound.
a low-pitched whistle.
adjective
-
pitched low in tone
-
(of a roof) having sides with a shallow slope
Etymology
Origin of low-pitched
First recorded in 1615–25
Explanation
Something that sounds deep and soft, especially someone's voice, can be called low-pitched. It's polite to speak in a low-pitched voice before your houseguests have woken up in the morning. People who sing in low registers — altos and basses, for example — have low-pitched voices, and a big dog might have a low-pitched bark, especially compared to your toy poodle's yap. This definition of low-pitched comes from the sense of pitch that means "the highness or lowness of a sound's tone." Another way to use this adjective is to mean "at a low slant or slight slope," from the pitch meaning "steepness of slope."
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.
Its opening poem, “Digging,” feels earthbound with its low-pitched vowels: “Between my finger and my thumb / The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
Just when the performance seems to conclude, Doechii, in a gray suit and tie, answers to a series of low-pitched whistle tones.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 2, 2025
"For reference," Dror explained, "the frequency of sound waves created by an alligator roar are about 100 billion times higher than this frequency -- these are very low-pitched waves."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 8, 2024
Some colleagues reckon I was chosen because they say I have a distinctive, low-pitched, reassuring-sounding voice.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2023
Harriet’s low-pitched husky voice made Shaw live again.
From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry
![]()
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.