low-pitched

American  

[loh-picht] / ˈloʊˈpɪtʃt /

adjective

1. pitched in a low register or key.

   a low-pitched aria for the basso.

2. produced by slow vibrations; relatively grave in pitch or soft in sound.

   a low-pitched whistle.

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low-pitched British  

adjective

1. pitched low in tone

2. (of a roof) having sides with a shallow slope

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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

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

The ovation had the character not of high-pitched cheering but of an involuntary low-pitched invocation of wonderment, even disbelief.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2025

Data from a controlled laboratory experiment shows that the domestic cat larynx can produce impressively low-pitched sounds at purring frequencies without any cyclical neural input or repetitive muscle contractions being needed.

From Science Daily • Oct. 4, 2023

Some colleagues reckon I was chosen because they say I have a distinctive, low-pitched, reassuring-sounding voice.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2023

Tucking his chin low on his chest, he hooted a low-pitched foo, foo, foooooo.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood