tonic

[ ton-ik ]

/ ˈtɒn ɪk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tonic ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a medicine that invigorates or strengthens: a tonic of sulphur and molasses.

anything invigorating physically, mentally, or morally: His cheerful greeting was a real tonic.

quinine water.

Music. the first degree of the scale; the keynote.

Chiefly Eastern New England. soda pop.

Phonetics. a tonic syllable or accent.

adjective

pertaining to, maintaining, increasing, or restoring the tone or health of the body or an organ, as a medicine.

invigorating physically, mentally, or morally.

Physiology, Pathology.

pertaining to tension, as of the muscles.
marked by continued muscular tension: a tonic spasm.

using differences in tone or pitch to distinguish between words that are otherwise phonemically identical: a tonic language.

pertaining to tone or accent in speech.

Phonetics. (of a syllable) bearing the principal stress or accent, usually accompanied by a change in pitch.

Music.

of or relating to a tone or tones.
pertaining to or founded on the keynote, or first tone, of a musical scale: a tonic chord.

Nearby words

tongues wag, tonguing, tonguing-and-grooving plane, tongzhou, toni, tonic, tonic accent, tonic contraction, tonic convulsion, tonic epilepsy, tonic pupil

Origin of tonic

First recorded in 1640–50, tonic is from the Greek word tonikós pertaining to stretching or tones. See tone, -ic

SYNONYMS FOR tonic

2 stimulant, restorative, bracer, pickup.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tonic ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

ton·i·cal·ly, adverban·ti·ton·ic, adjective, nounnon·ton·ic, adjectivepre·ton·ic, noun, adjective

Regional variation note

5. See soda pop.

Definition for tonic (2 of 2)

-tonic

a combining form occurring in adjectives that correspond to nouns ending in -tonia: catatonic.

Origin of -tonic

see origin at tonic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tonic

For Feiffer, the cold isolation of the upstate New York retreat worked like a tonic.
The Climax of ‘Portnoy’s Complaint’|Robert Hofler|May 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Unfortunately, the four-time NBA All-Star was tragically known for his unofficial nickname: Vin and Tonic.
Rodman’s Goon Squad Goes to North Korea|The Daily Beast|January 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And so Europeans sweetened it, giving us so-called tonic water, the “tonic” being the antidote to malaria.
A Malaria Vaccine That Cuts 46% of Infections Is a 100% a Big Deal|Kent Sepkowitz|October 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
(Tonic water made today still notes “contains quinine” on the label).
A Malaria Vaccine That Cuts 46% of Infections Is a 100% a Big Deal|Kent Sepkowitz|October 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The good news is that the departure of Berlusconi could be a tonic that awakens Italy from a stupor of lassitude and indifference.
Italy's Troubles Are Not the Tipping Point for Global Economic Collapse|Zachary Karabell|November 10, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The fresh air and the beauty of the country acted like a tonic upon us.
In Hostile Red|Joseph Altsheler
With its rarely fine atmosphere, so tonic and bracing, so free from the depressing fog of the North, it is a great sanitarium.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science|Various
The downland air was as a tonic wine to every creature that breathed it.
Jan|A. J. Dawson
His apprehensions had all vanished under the stimulus of that tonic atmosphere.
The Secret Trails|Charles G. D. Roberts
In the one form the tonic chord was natural, that is to say, major.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 1|Various

British Dictionary definitions for tonic

tonic

/ (ˈtɒnɪk) /

noun

a medicinal preparation intended to improve and strengthen the functioning of the body or increase the feeling of wellbeing

anything that enlivens or strengthenshis speech was a tonic to the audience

Also called: tonic water a mineral water, usually carbonated and containing quinine and often mixed with gin or other alcoholic drinks

music

the first degree of a major or minor scale and the tonal centre of a piece composed in a particular key
a key or chord based on this

a stressed syllable in a word

adjective

serving to enliven and invigoratea tonic wine

of or relating to a tone or tones

music of or relating to the first degree of a major or minor scale

of or denoting the general effect of colour and light and shade in a picture

physiol of, relating to, characterized by, or affecting normal muscular or bodily tonea tonic spasm

of or relating to stress or the main stress in a word

denoting a tone language

Derived Forms

tonically, adverb

Word Origin for tonic

C17: from New Latin tonicus, from Greek tonikos concerning tone, from tonos tone

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for tonic

tonic

[ tŏn′ĭk ]

adj.

Of or producing tone or tonicity in muscles or tissue.

Characterized by continuous tension or contraction of muscles, as a convulsion or spasm.

Producing or stimulating physical, mental, or emotional vigor.

n.

An agent, such as a medication, that restores or increases body tone.