Tone vs. Attitude: What's the Difference?
Edited by Harlon Moss || By Janet White || Updated on October 7, 2023
Tone refers to the mood or quality of a sound or the manner in communication, while Attitude is a person's perspective or feelings toward a subject.
Key Differences
Tone and Attitude are both essential elements in communication. While Tone refers to the mood or manner in which something is said, Attitude is a more internal concept, focusing on a person's feelings or perspectives towards a particular topic or situation.
In literature and arts, the Tone of a piece can be identified by analyzing word choices and writing style. It conveys the author's feelings indirectly. On the other hand, Attitude can be gleaned from the views, beliefs, or emotions expressed by characters or even the author themselves.
When speaking, a person's Tone of voice can communicate more than their words. It can convey happiness, sarcasm, anger, and more. Attitude, however, refers to the speaker's underlying feelings or perspectives, which might be the cause of their particular tone.
Tone can change throughout a conversation or text, adapting to different situations or topics. It's malleable. Attitude, however, is more consistent, as it's a reflection of a person's core beliefs and feelings.
In the realm of music, Tone refers to the quality of sound or note produced by an instrument. In contrast, Attitude isn't a term commonly associated with music but can describe a musician's approach or feelings toward their craft or a particular piece.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
The mood or quality of sound or communication.
A person's feelings or perspectives about a subject.
In Literature
Conveyed through word choice and style.
Evident in characters' or authors' beliefs and emotions.
In Conversation
Reflected in how something is said.
Underlying feelings that influence one's viewpoint.
Flexibility
Can change frequently based on context.
More consistent, reflecting core beliefs.
Usage in Music
Refers to the quality of a note or sound.
Can describe a musician's feelings or approach to a piece, but not commonly used.
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Tone and Attitude Definitions
Tone
The attitude or approach in a piece of writing.
The essay had a sarcastic Tone.
Attitude
A defiant or hostile disposition.
He came in with an Attitude.
Tone
A manner of expression in speech.
His Tone was condescending.
Attitude
An internal position based on feelings.
Her Attitude toward the project changed after hearing the details.
Tone
A sound of distinct pitch, quality, and duration; a note.
Attitude
A body posture showing mood or intention.
The dancer struck a graceful Attitude.
Tone
The interval of a major second in the diatonic scale; a whole step.
Attitude
A settled way of thinking or feeling about something.
Her positive Attitude is contagious.
Tone
A recitational melody in a Gregorian chant.
Attitude
A manner of thinking, feeling, or behaving that reflects a state of mind or disposition
Has a positive attitude about work.
Kept a dignified attitude throughout the crisis.
Tone
The quality or character of sound.
Attitude
Arrogant or aggressive disposition or behavior
One customer with a lot of attitude really tried my patience.
Tone
The characteristic quality or timbre of a particular instrument or voice.
Attitude
A position of the body or manner of carrying oneself
Stood in a graceful attitude.
Tone
The pitch of a word used to determine its meaning or to distinguish differences in meaning.
Attitude
A position similar to an arabesque in which a ballet dancer stands on one leg with the other raised either in front or in back and bent at the knee.
Tone
The particular or relative pitch of a word, phrase, or sentence.
Attitude
The orientation of an aircraft's axes relative to a reference line or plane, such as the horizon.
Tone
Manner of expression in speech or writing
Took an angry tone with the reporters.
Attitude
The orientation of a spacecraft relative to its direction of motion.
Tone
A general quality, effect, or atmosphere
A room with an elegant tone.
Attitude
The position of the body or way of carrying oneself.
The ballet dancer walked with a graceful attitude.
Tone
A color or shade of color
Light tones of blue.
Attitude
(figurative) Disposition or state of mind.
Don't give me your negative attitude.
You've got a nice attitude today.
Tone
Quality of color
The green wallpaper had a particularly somber tone.
Attitude
Unpleasant behavior.
He doesn't take attitude from anybody.
I asked the waiter for a clean fork and all I got was attitude.
Tone
The general effect in painting of light, color, and shade.
Attitude
The orientation of a vehicle or other object relative to the horizon, direction of motion, other objects, etc.
The airliner had to land with a nose-up attitude after the incident.
Tone
The normal state of elastic tension or partial contraction in resting muscles.
Attitude
(ballet) A position similar to arabesque, but with the raised leg bent at the knee.
Tone
Normal firmness of a tissue or an organ.
Attitude
To assume or to place in a particular position or orientation; to pose.
Tone
To give a particular tone or inflection to.
Attitude
To express an attitude through one's posture, bearing, tone of voice, etc.
Tone
To soften or change the color of (a painting or photographic negative, for example).
Attitude
The posture, action, or disposition of a figure or a statue.
Tone
To sound monotonously; intone.
Attitude
The posture or position of a person or an animal, or the manner in which the parts of his body are disposed; position assumed or studied to serve a purpose; as, a threatening attitude; an attitude of entreaty.
Tone
To make firmer or stronger. Often used with up
Exercises that tone up the body.
Attitude
Fig.: Position as indicating action, feeling, or mood; as, in times of trouble let a nation preserve a firm attitude; one's mental attitude in respect to religion.
The attitude of the country was rapidly changing.
'T is business of a painter in his choice of attitudes (posituræ) to foresee the effect and harmony of the lights and shadows.
Never to keep the body in the same posture half an hour at a time.
Tone
To assume a particular color quality.
Attitude
A complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways;
He had the attitude that work was fun
Tone
To harmonize in color.
Attitude
Position or arrangement of the body and its limbs;
He assumed an attitude of surrender
Tone
(music) A specific pitch.
Attitude
A theatrical pose created for effect;
The actor struck just the right attitude
Tone
(music) (in the diatonic scale) An interval of a major second.
Attitude
Position of aircraft or spacecraft relative to a frame of reference (the horizon or direction of motion)
Tone
(music) (in a Gregorian chant) A recitational melody.
Attitude
A position of an aircraft relative to the horizon.
The plane maintained a steady Attitude.
Tone
The character of a sound, especially the timbre of an instrument or voice.
Tone
(linguistics) The pitch of a word that distinguishes a difference in meaning, for example in Chinese.
Tone
(dated) A whining style of speaking; a kind of mournful or artificial strain of voice; an affected speaking with a measured rhythm and a regular rise and fall of the voice.
Children often read with a tone.
Tone
(literature) The manner in which speech or writing is expressed.
Tone
(obsolete) State of mind; temper; mood.
Tone
The shade or quality of a colour.
Tone
The favourable effect of a picture produced by the combination of light and shade, or of colours.
This picture has tone.
Tone
The definition and firmness of a muscle or organ; see also: tonus.
Tone
(biology) The state of a living body or of any of its organs or parts in which the functions are healthy and performed with due vigor.
Tone
(biology) Normal tension or responsiveness to stimuli.
Tone
A gun
Tone
(figuratively)
Tone
The general character, atmosphere, mood, or vibe (of a situation, place, etc.).
Her rousing speech gave an upbeat tone to the rest of the evening.
Tone
(Chiefly in the form lower/raise the tone of something) The quality of being respectable or admirable.
Tone
(transitive) to give a particular tone to
Tone
(transitive) to change the colour of
Tone
(transitive) to make (something) firmer
Tone
(transitive) to utter with an affected tone.
Tone
The one (of two)
Tone
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.
[Harmony divine] smooths her charming tones.
Tones that with seraph hymns might blend.
Tone
Accent, or inflection or modulation of the voice, as adapted to express emotion or passion.
Eager his tone, and ardent were his eyes.
Tone
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.
Tone
A sound considered as to pitch; as, the seven tones of the octave; she has good high tones.
Tone
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.
Tone
Tonicity; as, arterial tone.
Tone
State of mind; temper; mood.
The strange situation I am in and the melancholy state of public affairs, . . . drag the mind down . . . from a philosophical tone or temper, to the drudgery of private and public business.
Their tone was dissatisfied, almost menacing.
Tone
Tenor; character; spirit; drift; as, the tone of his remarks was commendatory.
Tone
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.
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.
Tone
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.
Tone
Color quality proper; - called also hue. Also, a gradation of color, either a hue, or a tint or shade.
She was dressed in a soft cloth of a gray tone.
Tone
The condition of normal balance of a healthy plant in its relations to light, heat, and moisture.
Tone
To utter with an affected tone.
Tone
To bring, as a print, to a certain required shade of color, as by chemical treatment.
Its thousand hues toned down harmoniusly.
The best method for the purpose in hand was to employ some one of a character and position suited to get possession of their confidence, and then use it to tone down their religious strictures.
Tone
The quality of a person's voice;
He began in a conversational tone
He spoke in a nervous tone of voice
Tone
(linguistics) a pitch or change in pitch of the voice that serves to distinguish words in tonal languages;
The Beijing dialect uses four tones
Tone
(music) 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
Tone
The general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people;
The feel of the city excited him
A clergyman improved the tone of the meeting
It had the smell of treason
Tone
A quality of a given color that differs slightly from a primary color;
After several trials he mixed the shade of pink that she wanted
Tone
A notation representing the pitch and duration of a musical sound;
The singer held the note too long
Tone
A steady sound without overtones;
They tested his hearing with pure tones of different frequencies
Tone
The elastic tension of living muscles, arteries, etc. that facilitate response to stimuli;
The doctor tested my tonicity
Tone
A musical interval of two semitones
Tone
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
Tone
Utter monotonously and repetitively and rhythmically;
The students chanted the same slogan over and over again
Tone
Of one's speech, varying the pitch
Tone
Change the color or tone of;
Tone a negative
Tone
Change to a color image;
Tone a photographic image
Tone
Give a healthy elasticity to;
Let's tone our muscles
Tone
The general mood or emotion conveyed.
The Tone of the letter was somber.
Tone
A particular quality or character of sound.
The Tone of the violin was melodious.
Tone
A shade of a color.
The room was painted in a muted Tone.
FAQs
Do both Tone and Attitude influence communication?
Yes, both Tone and Attitude significantly impact how a message is received.
Can someone's Attitude influence their Tone?
Yes, an individual's Attitude towards a topic often dictates their Tone when discussing it.
Is Attitude always evident in speech?
Not always. Attitude might be subtle and inferred from context or repeated interactions.
Can a speaker's Tone contradict their words?
Absolutely. A person can say something positive but with a sarcastic Tone.
Are Tone and Attitude synonymous?
No, while they can be related, Tone is more about the manner of expression, and Attitude is about underlying feelings.
How do authors convey Tone in writing?
Through word choice, sentence structure, and stylistic elements, authors convey Tone.
Can Tone be neutral?
Yes, Tone can be neutral, especially in objective or informational contexts.
Can music have a Tone without lyrics?
Yes, Tone in music refers to the quality of sound, which doesn't require lyrics.
Is Attitude always visible?
No, Attitude can be internalized, and it might not always be apparent to others.
How can one change their Attitude?
Attitude changes through experiences, reflection, or a shift in perspective.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Harlon MossHarlon is a seasoned quality moderator and accomplished content writer for Difference Wiki. An alumnus of the prestigious University of California, he earned his degree in Computer Science. Leveraging his academic background, Harlon brings a meticulous and informed perspective to his work, ensuring content accuracy and excellence.
