subtone

S1U1B3T1O1N1E1

noun

A secondary or lesser tone (in sound or colour).

Scrabble 9
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Meanings

nounsubtone (plural subtones)

plural subtones

  1. A secondary or lesser tone (in sound or colour).

    It had a slight rasp, soft subtones in the low notes and even control through the registers; he scattered stylized shakes of vibrato all through his playing.

    2007 July 20, Ben Ratliff, “Sounds to Quiet a Crowd While Recalling Faded Times”, in New York Times

Origin

From sub- + tone.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

subtone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subtone

MLA

“subtone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subtone. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “subtone,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subtone.

Source: subtone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.