Definition of tone:

• The general effect of a picture produced by the combination of light and shade, together with color in the case of a painting; -- commonly used in a favorable sense; as, this picture has tone.
• To utter with an affected tone.
• To give tone, or a particular tone, to; to tune. See Tune, v. t.
• To bring, as a print, to a certain required shade of color, as by chemical treatment.
• To bring to a required shade or color.
• To utter with an affected tone: to intone.
• To give a tone to.
• To give tone to; modify in tone; tune.
• To harmonize in color; as, the wall paper tones with the curtains.
• of one's speech, varying the pitch
• give a healthy elasticity to; " Let's tone our muscles"
• change the color or tone of
• To utter in an affected tone; to tune.
• Toning.
• the distinctive property of a complex sound ( a voice or noise or musical sound); " the timbre of her soprano was rich and lovely"; " the muffled tones of the broken bell summoned them to meet"
• a musical interval of two semitones
• ( linguistics) a pitch or change in pitch of the voice that serves to distinguish words in tonal languages; " the Beijing dialect uses four tones"
• the quality of something ( an act or a piece of writing) that reveals the attitudes and presuppositions of the author; " the general tone of articles appearing in the newspapers is that the government should withdraw"; " from the tone of her behavior I gathered that I had outstayed my welcome"
• the quality of a person's voice; " he began in a conversational tone"; " he spoke in a nervous tone of voice"
• the elastic tension of living muscles, arteries, etc. that facilitate response to stimuli; " the doctor tested my tonicity"
• change to a color image; " tone a photographic image"
• change the color or tone of; " tone a negative"
• Quality, with respect to attendant feeling; the more or less variable complex of emotion accompanying and characterizing a sensation or a conceptual state; as, feeling tone; color tone.
• The condition of normal balance of a healthy plant in its relations to light, heat, and moisture.
• Sound, or the character of a sound, or a sound considered as of this or that character; as, a low, high, loud, grave, acute, sweet, or harsh tone.
• Accent, or inflection or modulation of the voice, as adapted to express emotion or passion.
• A whining style of speaking; a kind of mournful or artificial strain of voice; an affected speaking with a measured rhythm ahd a regular rise and fall of the voice; as, children often read with a tone.
• A sound considered as to pitch; as, the seven tones of the octave; she has good high tones.
• The larger kind of interval between contiguous sounds in the diatonic scale, the smaller being called a semitone as, a whole tone too flat; raise it a tone.
• The peculiar quality of sound in any voice or instrument; as, a rich tone, a reedy tone.
• A mode or tune or plain chant; as, the Gregorian tones.
• That state of a body, or of any of its organs or parts, in which the animal functions are healthy and performed with due vigor.
• Tonicity; as, arterial tone.
• State of mind; temper; mood.
• Tenor; character; spirit; drift; as, the tone of his remarks was commendatory.
• General or prevailing character or style, as of morals, manners, or sentiment, in reference to a scale of high and low; as, a low tone of morals; a tone of elevated sentiment; a courtly tone of manners.
• The general effect of a picture produced by the combination of light and shade, together with color in the case of a painting; - commonly used in a favorable sense; as, this picture has tone.
• Color quality proper; - called also hue. Also, a gradation of color, either a hue, or a tint or shade.
• Sound, or quality of sound; note; accent; key; quality of the voice; as, a high tone; interval between two successive whole sound- steps in the major scale; opposite to semitone; condition of the body; as, a healthy tone; the quality and harmony of the colors of a painting; a hue, tint, or shade of color, etc.; as, a brown tone; the general character or tenedncy; as, the tone of the rebuke made it acceptable; the sound of the voice as expressive of feeling; as, there was contempt in her tone.
• The character of a sound: quality of the voice: harmony of the colors of a painting, also its characteristic expression as distinguished by its color: character or style: state of mind: mood: a healthy state of the body.
• Sound; strength or quality of sound; prevailing color; character or style; mood; healthy vigor.
• A sound having a definite pitch; characteristic sound, as of a voice.
• A mood.
• Characteristic style.
• Vocal inflection; mode of utterance.
• Sound, or a modification of sound; a particular inflection of the voice as modified by the feelings or passions; the particular sound of the voice in speaking or reading; the state of the body in regard to the healthy performance of its animal functions; in music, an interval of sound; in paint., the harmony of the colours of a picture in light and shade.
• Toned.

Usage examples for tone

1. She spoke in so low a tone of voice that no one else heard her.  Wife in Name Only by Charlotte M. Braeme (Bertha M. Clay)

2. Oh, Terence, what a tone!  Rossmoyne by Unknown

3. He was not even always supposed to know everything that was going on, at least, if you are to judge by the tone of the prayers of a good many people such as I have heard.  Our Unitarian Gospel by Minot Savage

4. Look at yourself, he answered in a low tone.  The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton