tone down

British  

verb

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

   to tone down an argument

   to tone down a bright colour

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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]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tone down

Marie Goldman, Lib Dem MP for Chelmsford and spokesperson for women and equalities, said that growing up in Devon, teachers told her to tone down her West Country accent for Bible readings.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Some AI companies have tried to tone down the sycophantic nature of their chatbots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

While the first day of their summit was light on concrete deals, the overarching take is that both countries are eager to tone down their economic rivalry.

From Barron's ● May 14, 2026

Plaza says that Waters is known for being provocative and loves reading tabloids but that he asked to tone down Armando’s snide put-downs of celebrities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026

“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