sotto voce

1. not comparableetcIn soft tones; quiet.

   ‘Hello?’ she shouted, but still her voice came out barely louder than a sotto voce whisper.

   1985, Gary Russell, Divided Loyalties, page 38

   2 more examples

   Then a man called for her, and began to make coarse jokes. But Mr. Pappleworth nodded his head in the direction of the boy, and the talk went on sotto voce.

   1913, D. H. Lawrence, chapter 5, in Sons and Lovers

   The Boyz also regularly speak in sotto voce, mimicking the grave, hushed tones often adopted by nature/wildlife programming hosts.

   2018, Nicole Seymour, Bad Environmentalism, page 89

2. not comparableentertainmentSoft, instruments or voice.

   Synonyms: sotto

1. not comparableetcQuietly.

   “Darling,” she says, “a working-class hero is something to be. “Of course,” she adds, sotto voce, “I wouldn’t know.”

   2007 February 25, William Shaw, quoting Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza, “We Are Not a Muse”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   1 more example

   "I am not your dear; I cannot lie down. Send me to school soon, Mrs. Reed, for I hate to live here." I will indeed send her to school soon," murmured Mrs. Reed sotto voce; and gathering up her work, she abruptly quitted the apartment.

   1847 October 16, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], Jane Eyre. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Smith, Elder, and Co., […], →OCLC

2. not comparableentertainmentSung or played softly, instruments or voice.

   Synonyms: sotto

plural sotto voci

1. entertainmentA direction in a score that a passage in a piece should be played softly, or sung in a low voice, when applied to vocal music.