monotone

[mon-uh-tohn]

noun

1. a vocal utterance or series of speech sounds in one unvaried tone.

2. a single tone without harmony or variation in pitch.

3. recitation or singing of words in such a tone.

4. a person who is unable to discriminate between or to reproduce differences in musical pitch, especially in singing.

5. sameness of tone or color, sometimes to a boring degree.

adjective

1. monotonous.

2. consisting of or characterized by a uniform tone of one color.

   a monotone drape.

3. Mathematics.,  monotonic.

monotone

/ ˈmɒnəˌtəʊn /

noun

1. a single unvaried pitch level in speech, sound, etc

2. utterance, etc, without change of pitch

3. lack of variety in style, expression. etc

adjective

1. unvarying or monotonous

2. Also: monotonic. maths (of a sequence or function) consistently increasing or decreasing in value

Word History and Origins

Origin of monotone¹

1635–45; < French monotone < Late Greek monótonos monotonous

Example Sentences

Trying to sound upbeat in a monotone voice, Foster said he would use the bye week to make tweaks before the Bruins opened Big Ten play Sept. 27 on the road against Northwestern.

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So for him to deliver that line in that monotone and that simple delivery speaks to his power and the knowledge that he has of himself.

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The query is repeated, monotone into a payphone, by actor Kristen Stewart, who appears on the song and in the David Lynch-ian fever dream of a video for “Who Laughs Last.”

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Detractors fault her flat, monotone delivery, though if you’re acting opposite Martin Short and Steve Martin, you need to find your own lane.

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He became a fan favorite, his often monotone cadence differentiating himself from his teammates.

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