monotone
- noun
- /ˈmɒnəˌtoʊn/
- Do not let your voice become a monotone, as this will wear it out quickly.
- monotone voice
- speaks in a monotone
Examples
-
I could see the stiff, official way she held herself, her careful monotone when she spoke.
Fiction book (1998) -
Then he spoke without looking at me, with a very low voice and in a monotone.
Fiction book (1993) -
You just get the same monotone mood all the time.
-
"Avoid direct eye contact, and speak in a soft monotone."
-
After the fourth pass, he began talking to himself in a low, rapid monotone.
Fiction book (2001) -
In a sort of monotone voice, she said, "You are strangers, right?"
Fiction book (1991) -
What about people who are introverted, have a monotone voice, and are generally low energy?
Blog text (28) -
"We'll go back to the hoist now," he said in a low monotone.
Fiction book (1992) -
At the morgue, until she'd broken down, she'd spoken in the emotionless monotone of a person in shock.
Fiction book (1991) -
The teacher's presentation was so dull that the students struggled to stay awake, as she spoke in a monotone voice.
Synonyms
A long low steady sound that plays behind a tune
A low, constant sound like insects or a machine
A calm even way of speaking that does not show strong feeling
Antonyms
How Varied
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Monotone comes from the Greek parts mono- meaning 'one' and tone meaning 'sound' or 'pitch'. So a monotone is literally 'one sound', which is why a monotone voice stays on one pitch and sounds flat.