intonationnoun
uk/ˌɪn.təˈneɪ.ʃən/us/ˌɪn.təˈneɪ.ʃən/[ C or U ] the sound changes produced by the rise and fall of the voice when speaking, especially when this has an effect on the meaning of what is said:
The end of a sentence that is not a question is usually marked by falling intonation.
[ U ] the degree to which the notes of a piece of music are played or sung exactly in tune:
The violinist had good intonation, and a wonderful pure tone.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Ways of speaking
- accent
- accentuate
- aitch
- asperity
- BBC English
- cut glass
- dialect
- get your tongue around/round sth idiom
- intone
- lenis
- modulate
- monotone
- plummy
- pragmatics
- singsong
- soft-spoken
- speech therapy
- spoken
- stumble
- trip off the tongue idiom
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Playing music
Singing