tony
adjective
high-toned; stylish.
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tonier.
tony
1 American
[toh-nee]
/ ˈtoʊ ni /
adjective
Informal.
tonier,
toniest
Tony
2
American
[toh-nee]
/ ˈtoʊ ni /
noun
-
Tonys
plural
Tony
3
American
[toh-nee]
/ ˈtoʊ ni /
Tony
1
British
/ ˈtəʊnɪ /
noun
tony
2
British
/ ˈtəʊnɪ /
adjective
Usage
What is a Tony? A Tony is an annual award given by the American Theatre Wing (ATW) for excellence in theater production. The Tony award is a black statuette featuring a suspended medallion with the image of the comedy and tragedy mask and the winner’s name, category, and winning year engraved on it. The awards are given out at the Tony Awards ceremony, also known as the Tonys. The Tonys are a televised ceremonial event that features celebrity hosts, musical performances, and Broadway announcements. Typically, the event is seen as one of the most important nights in the theater industry because it gathers many of its most talented performers, directors, and production crews.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tony1
An Americanism dating back to 1875–80; tone + -y 1
Origin of Tony2
After the nickname of Antoinette Perry
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:
Hawks spent two decades working as an executive assistant at the Sacred Hearts School, a private Catholic school in the tony Silicon Valley town of Atherton, before her retirement in 2021.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
She’s tried them everywhere from McDonald’s to Michelin-starred haunts, in tony European hamlets and Midwestern hockey towns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
The former home of the 36-year-old actress’s family is located in the tony community of Palisades, N.Y., where Panettiere was raised alongside her brother, Jansen, who died at the age of 28 in early 2023.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
Now, there has been what he called a “very suspicious fire” in a building in the neighborhood’s tony Highlands where he maintained an office for his crystals company.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2026
“Curiosity. Or perhaps envy. We’re clearly dressed for an important party. We do look rather tony, don’t we, Marion?”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Turn the whole internet off and on again: If you’ve heard rumblings about the cybersecurity vulnerability threatening the web but don’t know what’s going on, senior tech editor Tony Ho Tran is here to explain.
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026
There are many metrics by which to measure the success of “Oh, Mary!,” the Tony Award-winning play that has taken the stage by storm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
Premiering off-Broadway in February 2024 and set to run six weeks, the show was given multiple extensions before transferring to Broadway, where it won Tony Awards for Escola’s performance and Pinkleton’s directing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
The development is installing a wave machine designed by Kelly Slater Wave, and actor Matthew McConaughey, skateboarder Tony Hawk and ex-NFL quarterback Drew Brees are all members there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026
On April 27, day eighty of the trial, Judge Byrne called Daniel Ellsberg and Tony Russo to the bench.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
The Tonys were first and Cannes most recent to honor Streisand with the umbrella awards most appropriate for this once-in-a-lifetime artist.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
He shared that he actually has three Tonys, not two.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
Liza Minnelli, 79, is an actress, singer and dancer who won an Oscar for her role in the 1972 film “Cabaret” and has also received four Tonys, an Emmy and an honorary Grammy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
Mr. Harris is always effortlessly charming, whether he’s hosting the Tonys or hawking mushroom coffee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
We can't go on living here, and the Tonys will be home just as Tim's leave's up, and they're sure to leave their Bits behind.
From A Crooked Mile by Oliver [pseud.] Onions
Even after a post-fire decline, the average Altadena home value is currently about $1.15 million, according to Zillow, roughly a third the value of average homes in the mostly tonier Palisades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025
But a tonier environment did not equal greater comfort.
From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2023
Because of the lower property values, even the tonier areas of St. Bernard got less of their damages covered.
From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2022
And unlike in tonier waterfront areas, many residents may not have the resources to rebuild after the sort of flooding that Ian could bring.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 28, 2022
A similar story played out during the previous drought, when residents in some tonier neighborhoods from Calabasas to Beverly Hills were criticized for flouting the rules.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2022
The borough of Westminster, home to some of London’s toniest neighborhoods, said in a 2023 report that it sought to collect payment on 13,423 tickets issued to United Arab Emirates vehicles between 2018 and 2022.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
The State Farm move affects some of the county’s toniest neighborhoods — adding another layer of expense and financial risk for homeowners in areas that were already costly and imperiled by wildfires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2024
MIAMI—For nearly 2 years, bustling teams of archaeologists—totaling more than 120 researchers on some days—have excavated a sprawling waterfront lot here in one of this seaside city’s toniest neighborhoods.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 10, 2023
He has described how his parents saved to send him to Winchester College, one of Britain’s toniest and most expensive boarding schools.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 24, 2022
An' when he grows up an' marries, if his wife is a chef-cook straight out of the toniest kitchen in town, at fifty dollars a month, he'll tell her she ain't a patch on me.
From Martha By-the-Day by Julie Mathilde Lippmann
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