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Synonyms

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

"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
overtone Scientific  
/ ō′vər-tōn′ /

  1. See under harmonic

Etymology

Origin of overtone

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

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

“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

Though the word “miracle” has a religious overtone, I am not invoking the spiritual or the supernatural.

From New York Times • Jul. 2, 2021

‘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.