one-note

[ wuhn-noht ]

/ ˈwʌnˌnoʊt /

lacking in variety; monotonous.

QUIZZES

Can You Ace This Quiz About “Compliment” vs. “Complement”?

Take this quiz to see if you really know the difference between “compliment” and “complement"!

Question 1 of 11

“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

An ace comedic turn that, in lesser hands, would come off as one-note.
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’|Marlow Stern|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Rappers express their libidinous desires in the boring, one-note language of conquest.
Bobby Womack’s Sexual Democracy: The Late Soul Legend Preached Mutual Pleasure|David Masciotra|June 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So instead of one-note comedy bits, we see nuanced ones that resonate as being truthful—which in turn is better comedy.
‘SNL’ Gets What the Rest of TV Should: Racial Diversity Means Quality|Dean Obeidallah|January 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Johnny one-note history is anathema to a two-state solution.
One-Note History: A Response to Yousef Munayyer|Gil Troy|June 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The voice of this bird was a one-note whistle with a terminal inflection.
Birds from North Borneo|Max C. Thompson
But ordinarily, if cleanly played, they sound like one-note successions.
Violin Mastery|Frederick H. Martens