Difference Wiki

Tone vs. Tune

Tone and Tune Definitions

Tone

A sound of distinct pitch, quality, and duration; a note.

Tune

A melody, especially a simple and easily remembered one.

Tone

The interval of a major second in the diatonic scale; a whole step.

Tune

A song.

Tone

A recitational melody in a Gregorian chant.

Tune

The state of being in correct pitch
Sang out of tune.
Played in tune with the piano.
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Tone

The quality or character of sound.

Tune

(Obsolete) A musical tone.

Tone

The characteristic quality or timbre of a particular instrument or voice.

Tune

Concord or agreement; harmony
In tune with the times.

Tone

The pitch of a word used to determine its meaning or to distinguish differences in meaning.

Tune

(Archaic) Frame of mind; disposition.
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Tone

The particular or relative pitch of a word, phrase, or sentence.

Tune

(Electronics) Adjustment of a receiver or circuit for maximum response to a given signal or frequency.

Tone

Manner of expression in speech or writing
Took an angry tone with the reporters.

Tune

(Music) To put into proper pitch
Tuned the violin.

Tone

A general quality, effect, or atmosphere
A room with an elegant tone.

Tune

(Archaic) To utter musically; sing.
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Tone

A color or shade of color
Light tones of blue.

Tune

To adjust (an electronic receiver) to a desired frequency.

Tone

Quality of color
The green wallpaper had a particularly somber tone.

Tune

To adjust (an electronic circuit) so as to make it resonant with a given input signal.

Tone

The general effect in painting of light, color, and shade.

Tune

To adjust (an engine, for example) for maximum usability or performance.

Tone

The normal state of elastic tension or partial contraction in resting muscles.

Tune

To adjust the wavelength output of (a laser).

Tone

Normal firmness of a tissue or an organ.

Tune

To become attuned.

Tone

To give a particular tone or inflection to.

Tune

A melody.

Tone

To soften or change the color of (a painting or photographic negative, for example).

Tune

A song, or short musical composition.

Tone

To sound monotonously; intone.

Tune

(informal) The act of tuning or maintenance.
Your engine needs a good tune.

Tone

To make firmer or stronger. Often used with up
Exercises that tone up the body.

Tune

The state or condition of being correctly tuned.
Your engine is now in tune.
This piano is not in tune.

Tone

To assume a particular color quality.

Tune

(obsolete) Temper; frame of mind.

Tone

To harmonize in color.

Tune

(obsolete) A sound; a note; a tone.

Tone

(music) A specific pitch.

Tune

(obsolete) Order; harmony; concord.

Tone

(music) (in the diatonic scale) An interval of a major second.

Tune

Used to show appreciation or approval of a song.
You heard the new Rizzle Kicks song? — Tune!

Tone

(music) (in a Gregorian chant) A recitational melody.

Tune

To adjust (a musical instrument) so that it produces the correct pitches.
To tune a piano or a violin

Tone

The character of a sound, especially the timbre of an instrument or voice.

Tune

To adjust or modify (esp. a mechanical or electrical device) so that it functions optimally.
Tuning the engine gave me an extra twenty horsepower.
Tune your mind, and anything becomes possible.

Tone

(linguistics) The pitch of a word that distinguishes a difference in meaning, for example in Chinese.

Tune

To adjust the frequency on a radio or TV set, so as to receive the desired channel.
Tune to Channel 6 for all your favourite daytime shows.

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.

Tune

Of faculties, senses, etc.: to adapt to or direct towards a particular target.
My ears were tuned to the sounds of the forest.

Tone

(literature) The manner in which speech or writing is expressed.

Tune

To make more precise, intense, or effective; to put into a proper state or disposition.

Tone

(obsolete) State of mind; temper; mood.

Tune

To attune; to adapt in style of music; to make harmonious.

Tone

The shade or quality of a colour.

Tune

(transitive) To give a certain tone or character to.

Tone

The favourable effect of a picture produced by the combination of light and shade, or of colours.
This picture has tone.

Tune

(obsolete) To sing with melody or harmony.

Tone

The definition and firmness of a muscle or organ; see also: tonus.

Tune

To be impudent towards; to cheek.
Are you tuning me?

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.

Tune

(fandom slang) to adjust the parameters of singing voice synthesis software such as VOCALOID (in order to achieve certain singing techniques, increase the human quality of the voice, etc.)

Tone

(biology) Normal tension or responsiveness to stimuli.

Tune

A sound; a note; a tone.

Tone

A gun

Tune

A rhythmical, melodious, symmetrical series of tones for one voice or instrument, or for any number of voices or instruments in unison, or two or more such series forming parts in harmony; a melody; an air; as, a merry tune; a mournful tune; a slow tune; a psalm tune. See Air.
Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh.

Tone

(figuratively)

Tune

Order; harmony; concord; fit disposition, temper, or humor; right mood.
A child will learn three times as much when he is in tune, as when he . . . is dragged unwillingly to [his task].

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.

Tune

To put into a state adapted to produce the proper sounds; to harmonize, to cause to be in tune; to correct the tone of; as, to tune a piano or a violin.

Tone

(Chiefly in the form lower/raise the tone of something) The quality of being respectable or admirable.

Tune

To give tone to; to attune; to adapt in style of music; to make harmonious.
For now to sorrow must I tune my song.

Tone

(transitive) to give a particular tone to

Tune

To sing with melody or harmony.
Fountains, and ye, that warble, as ye flow,Melodious murmurs, warbling tune his praise.

Tone

(transitive) to change the colour of

Tune

To put into a proper state or disposition.

Tone

(transitive) to make (something) firmer

Tune

To form one sound to another; to form accordant musical sounds.
Whilst tuning to the water's fall,The small birds sang to her.

Tone

(transitive) to utter with an affected tone.

Tune

To utter inarticulate harmony with the voice; to sing without pronouncing words; to hum.

Tone

The one (of two)

Tune

A succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence;
She was humming an air from Beethoven

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.

Tune

The property of producing accurately a note of a given pitch;
He cannot sing in tune
The clarinet was out of tune

Tone

Accent, or inflection or modulation of the voice, as adapted to express emotion or passion.
Eager his tone, and ardent were his eyes.

Tune

The adjustment of a radio receiver or other circuit to a required frequency

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.

Tune

Adjust for (better) functioning;
Tune the engine

Tone

A sound considered as to pitch; as, the seven tones of the octave; she has good high tones.

Tune

Of musical instruments;
My piano needs to be tuned

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

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