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

At a punk show, a singer’s tooth was chipped when a crowd member bumped into the microphone, prompting a reminder to tone down the rowdiness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

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

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

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

“You know, May’s not here. You can tone down the whole noble prince thing. Besides, you’re probably a bit more useful to them alive than dead.”

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

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

---