overtone

American  

[oh-ver-tohn] / ˈoʊ vərˌtoʊn /

noun

1. Music. an acoustical frequency that is higher in frequency than the fundamental.

2. an additional, usually subsidiary and implicit meaning or quality.

   an aesthetic theory with definite political overtones.

   Synonyms:

   hint, intimation, suggestion, insinuation

---

overtone British  

/ ˈəʊvəˌtəʊn /

noun

1. (often plural) additional meaning or nuance

   overtones of despair

2. music acoustics any of the tones, with the exception of the fundamental, that constitute a musical sound and contribute to its quality, each having a frequency that is a multiple of the fundamental frequency See also harmonic partial

---

overtone Scientific  

/ ō′vər-tōn′ /

1. See under harmonic

---

Etymology

Origin of overtone

1865–70; translation of German Oberton. See over-, tone

Example Sentences

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

Sam Quinones celebrates this ungainly instrument and its players in “The Perfect Tuba,” a delightfully offbeat book with unexpectedly profound overtones.

From The Wall Street Journal

Though the recurrent phrase “citizen of the United States” had strong nationalist overtones, perhaps the framers did not mean to codify a one-size-fits-all approach.

From The Wall Street Journal

The religious overtones were unmistakable in Joseph Goebbels’ eulogy:

From Salon

With its religious overtones, “In Whose Name?” nods to the trappings of faith that often surrounded West but also asks something broader about authorship and accountability.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• connotation
• flavor
• meaning
• nuance
• tone
• undercurrent
• undertone