tone
Collocations
46(noun.) quality of a sound, especially of the human voice
ADJ
deep, low
falling, rising
He spoke with a falling tone as he admitted his mistake to the teacher.
hushed, quiet, subdued
The doctor explained the diagnosis in a quiet tone so as not to alarm the patient.
clear, ringing | sharp, shrill, stentorian, strident | gravelly
dry, even, expressionless, flat, level, measured, neutral
She answered all his questions in a measured tone, carefully choosing each word.
normal, reasonable
brisk, businesslike, matter-of-fact
The manager spoke in a businesslike tone during the meeting about the budget cuts.
commanding, firm, forthright | formal | sepulchral, solemn | dramatic, urgent | casual, offhand | bright, conversational
gentle, mild, pleasant, soft, sympathetic, warm
The teacher spoke in a warm tone that made the nervous students feel more comfortable.
dulcet, honeyed
She spoke to the angry customer in honeyed tones, trying to calm the situation down.
clipped, cool, curt, frigid, hard, harsh, icy
The teacher's harsh tone made it clear she was disappointed with the class's behavior.
aggressive, biting, contemptuous, disapproving, dismissive, ironic, mocking, patronizing, sarcastic, sardonic, scathing, threatening
She spoke in a dismissive tone, making it clear she wasn't interested in his explanation.
aggrieved, reproachful, shocked | bantering, conciliatory, conspiratorial, reverential, wheedling
VERB + TONE
adopt, speak in, take
The teacher spoke in a calm tone to help the anxious students feel more relaxed.
soften | change
interpret
When he spoke sarcastically, I found it difficult to interpret his tone correctly.
TONE + VERB
change
When she realized it was a joke, her tone changed from angry to amused.
convey sth, imply sth, indicate sth, suggest sth
betray sb/sth, give away sb/sth
His angry tone gave away how disappointed he felt about the decision.
PREP
in a/the ~
The teacher explained the difficult math problem in a patient tone so all the students could understand.
in ~s of
She spoke in tones of concern about the safety issues at the new factory.
PHRASES
a tone of voice
She spoke in a gentle tone of voice that made the children feel safe and comfortable.
(noun.) general quality/style of sb/sth
ADJ
dominant, general, overall, prevailing
The overall tone of their conversation seemed friendly despite the disagreement.
moral, political, social
The principal's speech set a positive moral tone for the entire school year.
favourable | negative | comic, humorous
VERB + TONE
set
The manager's calm response to the crisis set the tone for how the whole team would handle it.
PREP
in ~
She spoke in a tone that made everyone in the room immediately fall silent.
(noun.) shade of a colour
ADJ
light, muted, neutral, pale, pastel, soft
The designer chose soft tones for the bedroom to create a calm and relaxing atmosphere.
dark, deep | rich, warm | earthy, flesh, grey, natural, silvery | colour
skin
Her light skin tone made her freckles stand out even more in the summer.
(noun.) on the telephone
ADJ
dial/dialling, engaged
VERB + TONE
get
When I called the hotel, I got a busy tone and had to try again later.