low-key
Americanadjective
-
of reduced intensity; restrained; understated.
Judicial elections used to be low-key affairs, attracting little campaign spending.
-
(of a photograph) having chiefly dark tones, usually with little tonal contrast (distinguished from high-key).
adverb
verb (used with object)
adjective
-
having a low intensity or tone
-
restrained, subdued, or understated
-
(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.
See Examples For:
British heavyweight Tyson Fury stopped Mariusz Wach in a low-key bout in Thailand to keep a potential blockbuster fight with Anthony Joshua on track.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Demonstrations, initially low-key in the main, began last year when undocumented foreign nationals were blocked from accessing clinics and hospitals.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
These are low-key affairs in someone’s home or a restaurant, not fancy parties or far-flung cruises.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s love story will reach new heights this week with a totally low-key two-day wedding bash at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
Elizebeth’s start at the Coast Guard was low-key.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
“I feel like it’s a whole team, and this couldn’t be done without all the other players,” said Wang, who in typical fashion low-keyed his contributions.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 4, 2021
Nevertheless, Harriott’s tone was more low-keyed than the one he’d adopted before the Booker T. game.
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 1, 2017
Or maybe it will be Pharrell Williams, who low-keyed his way to scoring a much-coveted singer Monday, a vocalist Levine called “the greatest singer in the show’s history and the most beautiful.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2015
When Sandy Hall showed him his personalized trike, Hagar kept it low-keyed at the track.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 5, 2015
Her voice was slightly monotonous, but low-keyed: as she spoke her hands clasped and unclasped each other.
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 22. October, 1878. by Various
But is this John holding his cards close to the vest or is Glover merely low-keying his way through this performance, as he's done in other shows?
From Salon ● Feb. 2, 2024
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.
