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tonality

[ toh-nal-i-tee ]
/ toʊˈnæl ɪ ti /
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See synonyms for tonality on Thesaurus.com
noun, plural to·nal·i·ties.
Music.
  1. the sum of relations, melodic and harmonic, existing between the tones of a scale or musical system.
  2. a particular scale or system of tones; a key.
(in painting, graphics, etc.) the system of tones or tints, or the color scheme, of a picture.
the quality of tones.
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Origin of tonality

First recorded in 1830–40; tonal + -ity

OTHER WORDS FROM tonality

to·nal·i·tive, adjectivenon·to·nal·i·ty, noun

Words nearby tonality

-tomy, to my mind, ton, tonal, tonalist, tonality, to-name, Tonawanda, Tonbridge, tondo, tone
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to tonality

timbre, accent, emphasis, force, inflection, intonation, modulation, resonance, strength, stress, tone color

How to use tonality in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tonality

tonality
/ (təʊˈnælɪtɪ) /
noun plural -ties
music
  1. the actual or implied presence of a musical key in a composition
  2. the system of major and minor keys prevalent in Western music since the decline of modesCompare atonality
the overall scheme of colours and tones in a painting
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
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