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Synonyms

tone of voice

American  

noun

plural

tones of voice

  1. the features of a person's speech that indicate attitude, emotion, intent, etc., not explicit in the words themselves.

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.

An autistic person’s tone of voice or emotional affect may sound to a non-autistic person as if it doesn’t match the situation’s gravity.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

But Mamdani’s speech was not the ritual of unity and healing they wanted and expected, and they were reduced to mumbled excuses about the microphone, his tone of voice and his inexperience.

From Salon • Nov. 8, 2025

The manager did not change his low tone of voice, but came across considered and even philosophical during his 30 minutes with the media.

From BBC • Oct. 3, 2025

They are being coached to read customers’ moods, to choose the right gestures, the correct tone of voice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 20, 2025

Even if what I said was true, that tone of voice told me she didn’t believe me, and I’d better come up with a more convincing story.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.