overtone
22
7.2
- noun
- /ˈoʊvərˌtoʊn/
:
matiz
- " It's clear that there are very charged racial overtones to the case.
- political overtones
- religious overtones
- ideological overtones
Syria is now a regional civil war, Sunni, Shia, with global overtones in fact.
- Syria is now a regional civil war, Sunni, Shia, with global overtones in fact.
- The notion that America has a one single glorious destiny that's got a lot of historical overtones.
- And frankly, I didn't know what to make of them, that it had overtones of what people reported as spiritual experiences.
- It can't compete with the massive overtones of the rest of what's going on.
Examples
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It has overtones, and appeals to emotion that would perhaps be best not raised.
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This case has got political overtones.
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Was there an overtone of sarcasm in that remark, Jerry?
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What is happening in Syria and Iraq is a religious war with ethnic overtones.
Academic text (2015) -
The passage describes a Gnostic religious service with overtones of magic.
Academic text (1997) -
This is a very ominous assignment with overtones of extreme personal danger.
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The set of statements by Brenda, Natalie, and Michael respectively had curious racial overtones.
Academic text (2011) -
Official sources say that what seemed to be an innocent prank may turn out to compromise the American defense posture with overtones of espionage and international terrorism.
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The repudiation of sentimentalism by literary modernists had gendered overtones: it was an implicit rejection of a specifically feminine discourse.
Fiction book (1992) -
The movie had a subtle emotional overtone that resonated with the audience long after it ended.
Synonyms
74
5.1
A small difference in meaning or feeling that is hard to notice
44
6.1
An idea or feeling a word gives in addition to its main meaning
38
5.6
A hidden meaning in speech, writing, or art that people do not say directly
17
6.9
A hidden feeling beneath what someone shows or says
12
6.7
A hidden meaning under what someone says or does
6
7.7
A small hint that something is true or will happen
A quality of being suggested or understood without being said directly
How Suggestive
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Overtone comes from over- meaning 'above' and tone meaning 'sound' or 'feeling', so an overtone is an extra meaning or feeling that sits 'above' the main message.