Tonic
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A substance with medicinal properties intended to restore or invigorate. uncountable, usually
"We used to brew a tonic from a particular kind of root."
- 2 The first note of a diatonic scale; the keynote.
- 3 a medicine that strengthens and invigorates wordnet
- 4 Tonic water. uncountable, usually
- 5 The triad built on the tonic note.
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- 6 (music) the first note of a diatonic scale wordnet
- 7 Any of various carbonated, non-alcoholic beverages; soda pop. US, dated, uncountable, usually
- 8 A tonic element or letter; a vowel or a diphthong.
- 9 a sweet drink containing carbonated water and flavoring wordnet
- 10 Someone or something that revitalises or reinvigorates. figuratively, uncountable, usually
"Charlie ain't no Nazi / She likes to wear her leather boots / 'Cause it's exciting for the veterans / And it's a tonic for the troops."
- 11 lime- or lemon-flavored carbonated water containing quinine wordnet
- 1 To restore or invigorate. archaic
"When all signs of effusion, dulness, pain, œgophony, and cough had disappeared he was dieted, stimulated, and tonicked."
- 1 Pertaining to tension, especially of the muscles.
"Out in front and across the street, Doc noted half a dozen or so young men, not loitering or doing substances but poised and tonic, as if waiting for some standing order to take effect."
- 2 Pertaining to or based upon the first note of a diatonic scale. not-comparable
- 3 Restorative; curative; or invigorating.
"The arrival of the new members had a tonic effect on the team."
- 4 Pertaining to the accent or stress in a word or in speech. not-comparable
- 5 In a state of continuous unremitting action.
"Peter Redgrave (2007) Basal ganglia. Scholarpedia, 2(6):1825. GABAergic neurones in the basal ganglia output nuclei have high tonic firing rates (40-80 Hz)."
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- 6 Of or relating to tones or sounds; specifically (phonetics, dated) being or relating to a speech sound made with tone unmixed and undimmed by obstruction, i.e. a vowel or diphthong. not-comparable
- 1 imparting vitality and energy wordnet
- 2 (used of syllables) bearing the principle stress, usually accompanied by a change in pitch wordnet
- 3 relating to or being the keynote of a major or minor scale wordnet
- 4 employing variations in pitch to distinguish meanings of otherwise similar words wordnet
- 5 of or relating to or producing normal tone or tonus in muscles or tissue wordnet
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"Let's qualify this gin with tonic water."
Etymology
From Ancient Greek τονικός (tonikós), from τόνος (tónos). 17th century writers believed health to be derived from firmly stretched muscles, thus tonic; the extension of tonic medicine appeared in the late 18th century. By surface analysis, ton(e) + -ic.
From tone + -ic.
Related phrases
More for "tonic"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.