tones

1 definition • 7 examples

the quality of someone's voice:

in shocked, hushed, low, etc. tones She recounted the story to me in shocked tones (= in a shocked voice).

I could hear the low tones of my parents talking in the next room.

For more than half a century, the reassuring tones of BBC newscasters have informed British television viewers about world events.

I could hear them in the next room, speaking in hushed tones.

When she spoke it was in the clipped tones of a former age.

His contribution to the movie industry is still talked about in reverential tones.

She answered each question in measured tones, never betraying any hint of irritation.