overtone

[ oh-ver-tohn ]

noun

1. Music. an acoustical frequency that is higher in frequency than the fundamental.
2. an additional, usually subsidiary and implicit meaning or quality:

   an aesthetic theory with definite political overtones.

   Synonyms: intimation, hint, suggestion, insinuation

overtone

/ ˈəʊvəˌtəʊn /

noun

1. often plural additional meaning or nuance

   overtones of despair

2. music acoustics any of the tones, with the exception of the fundamental, that constitute a musical sound and contribute to its quality, each having a frequency that is a multiple of the fundamental frequency See also harmonic partial

overtone

/ ō′vər-tōn′ /

1. See under harmonic

Word History and Origins

Origin of overtone¹

1865–70; translation of German Oberton. See over-, tone

Example Sentences

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said Trump’s repetition of hate speech against migrants over the years has added dangerous overtones to the nation’s immigration debate.

From Los Angeles Times

Its wildly combustible songs were the perfect material for Jules Buckley’s orchestra, who ramped up the album's gothic overtones with harpsichords, lutes and long crescendos of percussion.

From BBC

“Things like this, which have these obvious political overtones, tend to undermine further the view of the public of the judicial courts system,” Saldaña said.

From Salon

Gleichschaltung is generally rendered in English as “Coordination,” but this translation lacks, to my mind, the ominous overtones of a systematic technical autocratic takeover of power.

From Salon

The college said it had opened an inquiry into "actions that conveyed hostility and racist overtones".

From BBC

Related Words

• connotation
• flavor
• meaning
• nuance
• tone
• undercurrent
• undertone