monotone

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mon·o·tone

(mŏn′ə-tōn′)

1. A succession of sounds or words uttered in a single tone of voice.

2. Music

a. A single tone repeated with different words or time values, especially in a rendering of a liturgical text.

b. A chant in a single tone.

3. Sameness or dull repetition in sound, style, manner, or color.

adj.

1. Characterized by or uttered in a monotone: a monotone recitation of names.

2. Of or having a single color: a cat with a monotone coat.

3. also mon·o·ton·ic (mŏn′ə-tŏn′ĭk) Mathematics Designating sequences, the successive members of which either consistently increase or decrease but do not oscillate in relative value. Each member of a monotone increasing sequence is greater than or equal to the preceding member; each member of a monotone decreasing sequence is less than or equal to the preceding member.

[From Greek monotonos, monotonous; see monotonous.]

mon′o·ton′ic (-tŏn′ĭk) adj.

mon′o·ton′i·cal·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

monotone

(ˈmɒnəˌtəʊn)

1. a single unvaried pitch level in speech, sound, etc

2. (Linguistics) utterance, etc, without change of pitch

3. lack of variety in style, expression. etc

adj

4. unvarying or monotonous

5. (Mathematics) maths Also: monotonic (of a sequence or function) consistently increasing or decreasing in value

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

mon•o•tone

(ˈmɒn əˌtoʊn)

n.

1. a vocal utterance or series of speech sounds in one unvaried tone.

2. a single musical tone without variation in pitch.

3. recitation or singing of words in such a tone.

4. a person who is unable to discriminate between or to reproduce differences in musical pitch, esp. in singing.

5. any unrelieved sameness or boring repetition.

adj.

6. monotonous.

7. consisting of or characterized by a uniform tone of one color: a monotone drape.

[1635–45; < French monotone < Late Greek monótonos monotonous]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	monotone - an unchanging intonation droning, drone intonation, pitch contour, modulation - rise and fall of the voice pitch
	2.	monotone - a single tone repeated with different words or different rhythms (especially in rendering liturgical texts) musical note, note, tone - a notation representing the pitch and duration of a musical sound; "the singer held the note too long"
Adj.	1.	monotone - of a sequence or function; consistently increasing and never decreasing or consistently decreasing and never increasing in value monotonic math, mathematics, maths - a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement
	2.	monotone - sounded or spoken in a tone unvarying in pitch; "the owl's faint monotonous hooting" monotonic, monotonous, flat unmodulated - characterized by lack of variation in pitch, tone, or volume; "he lectured in an unmodulated voice edged with hysteria"

monotone

noun

A tiresome lack of variety:

humdrum, monotonousness, monotony, sameness.

Translations

monoton

tono monotono tono uniforme

monotone

[ˈmɒnətəʊn] N → monotonía f
to speak in a monotone → hablar en un solo tono

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

monotone

[ˈmɒnətəʊn]

n → voix f monocorde
to speak in a monotone → parler sur un ton monocorde

adj (= monotonous) → monotone

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

monotone

n → monotoner Klang; (= voice) → monotone Stimme

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

monotone

[ˈmɒnəˌtəʊn] n in a monotone → con voce monotona, con tono monotono

References in classic literature ?

Only at rare moments of exaltation or despair do we hear the lyrical cry rising above the monotone of dreamlike content.

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And the people - ah, the people - They that dwell up in the steeple, All alone, And who, tolling, tolling, tolling, In that muffled monotone, Feel a glory in so rolling On the human heart a stone - They are neither man nor woman - They are neither brute nor human - They are Ghouls: - And their king it is who tolls: - And he rolls, rolls, rolls, rolls, Rolls

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At sight of this danger the men suddenly ceased their cursing monotone. There was an instant of strained silence before they threw up their rifles and fired a plumping volley at the foes.

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The stranger gave the matter no attention and began again to speak in the same deliberate, uninflected monotone in which he had delivered his first sentence:

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"We will return to the tower." The deadly monotone of his voice was unbroken.

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The appeal was evidently addressed to the Lord Chancellor, who instantly replied, in a shrill monotone, like a little boy repeating the alphabet, "As I was remarking, your Sub-Excellency, this portentous movement--"

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The quiet, dreary monotone in which he habitually spoke quickened a little under his present excitement.

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Thaddeus, sir!" We heard her reiterated rejoicings until the door was closed and her voice died away into a muffled monotone.

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In the feverish, pulsating life of the young metropolis they often stopped oppressed, giddy, and choking; the roar of the streets and thoroughfares was meaningless to them, except to revive strange memories of the deep, unvarying monotone of the evening wind over their humbler roof on the Sierran hillside.

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Tarzan," said Jane, in the same lifeless monotone. "And he is dead!

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She rose slowly without any sign of resentment, and said in her usual muffled monotone, "Brother, I hope the new doctor will be able to do something for you.

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If I didn't introduce my gentlemen friends to Mother," the young girl added in her little soft, flat monotone, "I shouldn't think I was natural."