What does "monotone" mean?
A single unvaried tone of speech or a sound.
Monotone
/ˈmɒn.ə.təʊn/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A single unvaried tone of speech or a sound.
- Grammar: monotone is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: af, alliterating, alliteration, alliterative.
- Useful contrasts: aesthetic standard, animated speech, bubbly.
- Usage evidence: He read the poem in a monotone.
How to use "monotone"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "monotone" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "monotone" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "monotone" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "monotone" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "monotone" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "af" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "monotone", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A single unvaried tone of speech or a sound. countable, uncountable
"When Tima felt like her parents were treating her like a servant, she would speak in monotone and act as though she were a robot."
- 2 an unchanging intonation wordnet
- 3 A piece of writing in one strain throughout. countable, uncountable
- 4 a single tone repeated with different words or different rhythms (especially in rendering liturgical texts) wordnet
Verb
- 1 To speak in a monotone. ambitransitive
Adjective
- 1 Having a single unvaried pitch.
"The prominence of the syllables is more monotone than in English, the intonation of the latter having a larger variation of stressed and unstressed syllables."
- 2 Of a function: that is always nonincreasing or nondecreasing on an interval.
"The function f(x)#58;#61;x³ is monotone on #92;R, while g(x)#58;#61;x² is not."
- 3 Synonym of monochrome.
Adjective
- 1 sounded or spoken in a tone unvarying in pitch wordnet
- 2 of a sequence or function; consistently increasing and never decreasing or consistently decreasing and never increasing in value wordnet
Example
"He read the poem in a monotone."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "monotone"?
Common synonyms include: af, alliterating, alliteration, alliterative, array, articulation.
How do you use "monotone" in a sentence?
He read the poem in a monotone.
How do you pronounce "monotone"?
Pronounced /ˈmɒn.ə.təʊn/.
Etymology
From the post-Classical Latin monotonus (“unvarying in tone”) or its etymon the Ancient Greek μονότονος (monótonos, “steady”, “unwavering”); compare cognate adjectives, namely the French monotone, the German monoton, the Italian monotono, and the Spanish monótono, as well as the slightly earlier English noun monotony and adjective monotonical.
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