overtone

[oh-ver-tohn]

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

/ 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

1. See under harmonic

Word History and Origins

Origin of overtone¹

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.

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

Read more on 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.

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The religious overtones were unmistakable in Joseph Goebbels’ eulogy:

Read more on 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.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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