low-key
Americanadjective
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of reduced intensity; restrained; understated.
Judicial elections used to be low-key affairs, attracting little campaign spending.
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(of a photograph) having chiefly dark tones, usually with little tonal contrast (distinguished from high-key).
adverb
verb (used with object)
adjective
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having a low intensity or tone
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restrained, subdued, or understated
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(of a photograph, painting, etc) having a predominance of dark grey tones or dark colours with few highlights Compare high-key
Usage
What else does low-key mean? Low-key can variously mean "quiet," "restrained," "moderate," or "easygoing." It can also behave as an adverb meaning "of low or moderate intensity." Like doing something, but in a "chill" way. For instance: We're having a party at my place but keeping it low-key so the neighbors don't complain.
Etymology
Origin of low-key
First recorded in 1890–95
Explanation
Something low-key is quiet or understated. A low-key wedding might be held in a friend's backyard, with a potluck reception — it's informal, small, and subdued. A person who's low-key is modest and soft spoken, and a low-key restaurant is comfortable and unpretentious. You might prefer your family's low-key way of celebrating birthdays (a cake and a few gifts) to the way your best friend's family does it (hiring caterers, clowns, magicians, and a band). Low-key can also mean "muted in color," like the low-key tones in your favorite painting.
Vocabulary lists containing low-key
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.
“The F.B.I. intends for the execution of the warrant to be handled in a professional, low key manner,” he wrote, “and to be mindful of the optics of the search.”
From New York Times • Jun. 5, 2024
But rather than call out the champions or hype up his victory, Joshua - as he has done throughout fight week - kept it low key.
From BBC • Mar. 9, 2024
“You kind of want to keep it on the low key, especially in the beginning phases,” Haskins said after Dartmouth played Harvard in its first game since the ruling.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 11, 2024
Everyone had told me it would be quite low key.
From BBC • Jan. 15, 2024
He always kept things low key before a race, and the boys spent the morning dozing, playing cards, and shooting the bull.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
