undertone
/ˈʌndətəʊn
/noun
1A subdued or muted tone of sound or colour: they were talking in undertones...
- This is a deep red colour with earthy undertones.
- In some scenes, there were slight orange undertones to the flesh tones; this may have been the result of a low budget production and the lighting used during the filming, but it was not attractive.
- The quality of the film is as good as can be expected from any DVD from the early '90s. There was little to no grain in the color and the flesh tones lacked any unpleasant undertones.
Synonyms
low voice, murmur, whisper, mutter;
low tones, hushed tones
1.1An underlying quality or feeling: the sexual undertones of most advertising...
- His statement held undertones of sexual suggestion, just as he had intended, and had no note of insecurity or uncertainty.
- A lot of what he said to me had sexual undertones.
- It has a few inspired moments and overall is a good, fun film with depressing undertones.
Synonyms
undercurrent, hint, overtone, suggestion;
connotation, nuance, intimation, inkling, insinuation, implication, trace, suspicion, tinge, touch, vein, breath, whiff, whisper, glimmer, atmosphere, aura, tenor, flavour, colouring, shade, smack
rare subcurrent