To modify (some unsuitable or excessive state or quality, or some thing or person in respect of such), esp. by admixture of some other quality…

transitive. To alter in the direction of mildness or moderation; to make less severe, rigorous, or extreme; to qualify, tone down, moderate (a…

transitive. To make less pronounced or prominent; to make less forceful or vehement, or less likely to offend; to minimize the unpleasantness of…

transitive. To reduce the intensity of; to tone down; to temper, soften, mellow; also, to render dull or uninteresting.

transitive. To moderate or mitigate so as to reduce to a more satisfactory or normal condition, esp. to render less violent, severe, or unpleasant…

transitive. To mix suitably; to moderate, qualify, mitigate, allay; = temper, v. 1 2; to bring into a proper state or condition; = temper, v. 5.

To lessen (a quality, etc.) in degree; to weaken the force of (a blow), mitigate (a law). Obsolete.

transitive. figurative. To tone down, lessen, weaken, modify. Obsolete.

To weaken the brilliancy of (colour); to make of a faint or washed-out hue.

transitive. To make less emphatic or pronounced; to moderate, qualify, or tone down (an action, statement, etc.). Obsolete.

To reduce the intensity of (a colour, sound, fire).

transitive. To reduce the intensity, force, or vividness of (sound, colour, light, etc.); to tone down. Cf. subdued, adj. 2.

transitive. To make less in amount, degree, or intensity; to reduce, diminish.

transitive. gen. To set or regulate in a certain measure and proportion; to adjust, temper, vary conformably to; to soften, temper, tone down.

transitive. To change or make to pass by imperceptible degrees into something else; also with away, off. Also to shade away, to shade down, to…

transitive. Often depreciative. To weaken in force, impact, or quality; to make more moderate; = sense 9b. Cf. watered-down, adj. 1 and slightly…

transitive. To pour water over (ashes, dust, earth, etc.) in order to settle or soften it. Also: to sprinkle or pour water on (a road, pavement…

To bring down to a sober condition in some respect.

transitive. To render less distinct or apparent; to mute, reduce, soften, or tone down (the taste, sound, smell, etc., of something).

to tone down, to lower the tone, quality, or character of; to soften, make less emphatic. to tone up, to raise or improve the tone of, to give a…

To tone down, qualify.

To soften, tone down, render less harsh or prominent.

transitive. To impart a tone to (in various senses of the noun); to modify, regulate, or adjust the tone or quality of; to give physical or mental…

transitive. To lower in level, pitch, or intensity; to tone down. Cf. to key up at phrasal verbs 1.

To reduce in force or effect; esp. to refrain from emphasizing the more unpleasant aspects of; to tone down, play down. transitive.