minor key
Americannoun
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a key or mode based on a minor scale.
-
a less jubilant or more restrained mood, atmosphere, or quality.
The conversation shifted to a minor key with news of the defeat.
noun
Etymology
Origin of minor key
First recorded in 1810–20
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.
“It was just a magical time,” he adds before letting the music pour from his fingers for a moment: long, rippling melodic lines that keep veering between a major and a minor key.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 23, 2025
Its reflective, minor key melancholy was embraced by fans after the band went on hiatus in 2016.
From BBC • Oct. 25, 2024
This single-sitting listen is a minor key masterpiece.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 9, 2022
The minor key romance “Alone Together” is a modest affair, which credibly depicts the kinds of conversations about relationships that many people were confronted with during the early days of the pandemic.
From New York Times • Jul. 21, 2022
Three are in a major key and two in a minor key.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
