overtone
Americannoun
-
Music. an acoustical frequency that is higher in frequency than the fundamental.
-
an additional, usually subsidiary and implicit meaning or quality.
an aesthetic theory with definite political overtones.
- Synonyms:
- hint, intimation, suggestion, insinuation
noun
Etymology
Origin of overtone
Vocabulary lists containing overtone
Waves and Wave Properties - Middle School
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Waves and Wave Properties - High School
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Physics - Middle School
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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.
The significant difference in the masses of the colliding black holes also produced a "higher harmonic," a kind of overtone similar to those heard in musical instruments.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2025
JJ: The two singles you’ve released so far that are connected with the album are “Herrera” which is your version of a bachata that has this electronic overtone to it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
About six years ago, a friend gave Selaocoe a grounding in umngqokolo, a form of South African overtone singing, he said, which added a new dimension to the musician’s already charismatic performances.
From New York Times ● Sep. 23, 2022
“The positive overtone will be extremely important because we can expect Beijing to turn to Taiwan, to appeal for some kind of dialogue.”
From Washington Times ● Jun. 27, 2022
‘Ah, what elegance! What aristocratic distinction! Can that really be decayed cat that I smell? With a delicate overtone of rotten camel! Ah, the gorgeous East!”
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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.
