The timbre of someone's voice or of a musical instrument is the particular quality of sound that it has.
[formal]
His voice had a deep timbre.
The timbre of the violin is far richer than that of the mouth organ. [+ of]
Synonyms: tone, sound, ring, resonance More Synonyms of timbre
timbre in British English
(ˈtɪmbə, ˈtæmbə, French tɛ̃brə)
noun
1. phonetics
the distinctive tone quality differentiating one vowel or sonant from another
2. music
tone colour or quality of sound, esp a specific type of tone colour
Word origin
C19: from French: note of a bell, from Old French: drum, from Medieval Greek timbanon, from Greek tumpanon drum
timbre in American English
(ˈtæmbər; also, ˈtɪmbər; French ˈtɛ̃bʀ(ə))
noun
the characteristic quality of sound that distinguishes one voice or musical instrument from another or one vowel sound from another: itis determined by the harmonics of the sound and is distinguished from the intensity and pitch
Derived forms
timbral (ˈtimbral) (ˈtɪmbrəl)
adjective
Word origin
Fr, timbre, earlier, sound of a bell < MFr, ball struck by a hammer < OFr, a kindof drum < LGr tymbanon < Gr tympanon: see tympan
Examples of 'timbre' in a sentence
timbre
The same might well be claimed for the distinctive choral timbre.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
For that rich, easy timbre you forgive his wooden acting.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The detail was spotless, the tone and timbre light and scrupulous.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
In his case, the distinctive element deriving from content is tone, or timbre.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
His palette of colour and timbre is eagerly deployed; the play's characters spawn vivid musical signatures.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
(noun)
Definition
the distinctive quality of sound produced by a particular voice or musical instrument
His voice had a deep timbre.
Synonyms
tone
the clear tone of the bell
sound
Peter heard the sound of gunfire.
ring
resonance
colour
The badges come in twenty different colours and shapes.
tonality
tone colour
quality of sound
Additional synonyms
in the sense of colour
Definition
a colour, such as a red or green, that possesses hue, as opposed to black, white, or grey
The badges come in twenty different colours and shapes.