tonal
/ˈtəʊ.nəl/ IELTSAcademic
adjective
Connected with tone or sound quality. It often describes music, speech, or colour changes based on tone.
- The singer has a rich tonal quality.
- This painting uses soft tonal changes.
- The speech had a serious tonal style.
Adinary Nuance
Tonal focuses on tone, sound, or shade. It is more specific than musical and more formal than everyday words like sound-related or colorful. Writers choose it when they want to describe the quality or pattern of tone, not just the thing itself.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- thuộc âm điệu
- Spanish
- tónico
- Chinese
- 音调的
- Japanese
- 音調の
- Korean
- 음조의
Etymology
Tonal comes from tone, which entered English from Old French and Latin. The adjective became common in the 19th century, especially in music and art.
Common phrases
tonal qualitytonal rangetonal contrasttonal changes
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is tonal used more in music or language?
- It is used in both, but music is more common. In language, it can describe speech tones or tone patterns.
- Is tonal a formal word?
- Yes, it sounds fairly formal. It is common in writing, reviews, and academic discussion.
- What is the difference between tonal and musical?
- Musical is broader. Tonal usually points to tone, pitch, or sound quality more directly.