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Synonyms

tone color

American  

noun

Music.
  1. tone quality; timbre.


Etymology

Origin of tone color

First recorded in 1880–85

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.

See Examples For:

His tone color on the piano can shift from vinegary to supple in seconds.

From New York Times ● Aug. 7, 2023

But in this new study that we’ve done, we looked at cases where people were using a skin tone color for their emoji that didn’t match their actual skin color.

From The Verge ● Dec. 12, 2018

The young composers followed suit mainly by putting much emphasis on tone color.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2015

It was arguably worth exhuming, not just for the curiosity value but for the touch of golden tone color it provided in the depths of the music.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 8, 2015

Each voice has a unique tone color that is described using adjectives or metaphors such as “nasally,” “resonant,” “vibrant,” “strident,” “high,” “low,” “breathy,” “piercing,” “ringing,” “rounded,” “warm,” “mellow,” “dark,” “bright,” “heavy,” “light,” “vibrato.”

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

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