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
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
She told the coroner she could hear “some noise” from the fire alarm but that it was low-pitched and not continuous.
From BBC • Nov. 18, 2024
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
I sat a few feet away, entranced, close enough to hear the angry low-pitched buzzing of his wings, so at odds with his jewel-like appearance and jaunty attitude.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
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.
