ADJ
- deep, low
- falling, rising
- The rising tone of her voice emphasized her panic
- hushed, quiet, subdued
- speaking in hushed tones
- clear, ringing
- sharp, shrill, stentorian, strident
- gravelly
- dry, even, expressionless, flat, level, measured, neutral
- The question was posed in a flat tone
- normal, reasonable
- brisk, businesslike, matter-of-fact
- She answered him in a brisk, matter-of-fact tone
- commanding, firm, forthright
- formal
- sepulchral, solemn
- dramatic, urgent
- casual, offhand
- bright, conversational
- gentle, mild, pleasant, soft, sympathetic, warm
- Her tone was mild, almost conversational
- dulcet, honeyed (both often ironic)
- We heard the dulcet tones of the sergeant, bawling at us to get on parade
- clipped, cool, curt, frigid, hard, harsh, icy
- In cool, clipped tones, he told her what had happened
- aggressive, biting, contemptuous, disapproving, dismissive, ironic, mocking, patronizing, sarcastic, sardonic, scathing, threatening
- His tone was faintly mocking
- aggrieved, reproachful, shocked
- bantering, conciliatory, conspiratorial, reverential, wheedling
VERB + TONE
- adopt, speak in, take
- When she heard my accent, she adopted a warmer tone. Don't you take that tone with me
- soften
- change
- interpret
- Her tone was hard to interpret
TONE + VERB
- change
- His tone changed dramatically when he saw the money
- convey sth, imply sth, indicate sth, suggest sth
- betray sb/sth, give away sb/ sth
- Her tone betrayed her impatience
PREP
- in a/the ~
- 'You ought to have thought of them,' she said in a reproachful tone
- in ~s of
- ' I don't believe it! ' cried Henry in tones of utter amazement
PHRASES
- a tone of voice
- I didn't like his tone of voice; I felt he was being condescending
ADJ
- dominant, general, overall, prevailing
- The general tone of the report was favourable
- moral, political, social
- The newspaper sets a high moral tone in its editorial about politicians' private lives
- favourable
- negative
- comic, humorous
VERB + TONE
- set
- Her enthusiastic speech set the tone for the day's conference
PREP
- in ~
- His letter was very negative in tone
ADJ
- light, muted, neutral, pale, pastel, soft
- muted tones of grey and brown
- dark, deep
- rich, warm
- earthy, flesh, grey, natural, silvery
- colour
- skin
- What is your natural skin tone?
VERB + TONE
- get
- I keep getting the engaged tone