minor key

noun Music.

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.

Origin of minor key

First recorded in 1810–20

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for minor key

Historical Examples of minor key

And then, turning into the fourth page, she came on a passage which checked all minor-key reflections instantly.
Angela's Business
Henry Sydnor Harrison

British Dictionary definitions for minor key

minor key

noun

music a key based on notes taken from a corresponding minor scale

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012