sotto voce
Americanadverb
adverb
Etymology
Origin of sotto voce
First recorded in 1730–40; from Italian adverb sottovoce, “in a low voice,” from sotto “under” + voce “voice” ( see origin at voice ( def. ))
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.
John: sotto voce, just barely in range: “In the army, perhaps.”
From Salon ● Dec. 23, 2025
But instead, the trip is taking place sotto voce.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2024
He clearly relishes soft playing, with sensitive effects of distant bells and moonlit drizzles in Messiaen’s “La Colombe” and “Le Nombre Léger,” and a murmured sotto voce in Chopin’s Op.
From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2024
She liked to sing over busy rhythms, but always kept her voice understated, delicate and sotto voce, as if she were sharing secrets amid the noise of the world.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 20, 2021
Later, Kimberly, sotto voce, told Ifemelu, “Morgan’s really hard on him. He tries so hard and she won’t let him in. She just won’t.”
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
