tone down

British  

verb

1. (adverb) to moderate or become moderated in tone

   to tone down an argument

   to tone down a bright colour

---

tone down Idioms  

1. Make less vivid, harsh, or violent; moderate. For example, That's a little too much rouge; I'd tone it down a bit, or Do you think I should tone down this letter of complaint? This idiom uses tone in the sense of “adjust the tone or quality of something,” as does the antonym, tone up, meaning “brighten or strengthen.” For example, These curtains will tone up the whole room, or This exercise is said to tone up the triceps. [Mid-1800s]

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tone down

Observer missions called for parties to tone down inflammatory statements as the votes cast on Thursday were tallied, and some teams extended their deployment because of the tensions.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

Also on its front page, the PM has been told to "tone down his 'blokeish' videos", including one that rated pub snacks.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Maria O’Donnell, a journalist who drew Milei’s ire after urging him to tone down his rhetoric, said the president often appears to treat criticism as a personal attack.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

For his sole Fourth of July column, he urged people to tone down their pomp and circumstance and to relate to their fellow Americans rather than “to fixed ideas that apparently are not working.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2025

“And one other thing. I’d love it if you could try to tone down the praise talk.”

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Related Words

• dampen
• dim
• mitigate
• modulate
• play down
• restrain
• soften
• temper