high key

¹

noun

, Movies.

1. a style of lighting that is bright, even, and produces little contrast between light and dark areas of the scene.

high-key

²

[ hahy-kee ]

adjective

1. (of a photograph) having chiefly light tones, usually with little tonal contrast ( low-key ).

high-key

adjective

1. (of a photograph, painting, etc) having a predominance of light grey tones or light colours Compare low-key

Word History and Origins

Origin of high key¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Origin of high key²

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

As the enterprise has taken on huge levels of debt to finance its rapid expansion, a Fitch Ratings subsidiary has warned of high “key man” risk, with the conglomerate so firmly connected to Mr. Adani.

From New York Times

Madame Lebrun was bustling in and out, giving orders in a high key to a yard-boy whenever she got inside the house, and directions in an equally high voice to a dining-room servant whenever she got outside.

From Literature

One was my Jonathan’s, raised in a high key of passion; the other Mr. Morris’ strong resolute tone of quiet command.

From Literature

The caption: “High key more comfortable being myself on this app than in my hometown.”

From Washington Post

“I’m all for giving back, if that’s what you’re going to do. This … high key degrading though,” another Twitter user posted.

From Los Angeles Times

About This Word

What else does high-key mean?

In slang, high-key is the opposite of the more commonplace low-key, or “secretive” or “restrained.” So something high-key is “intense” and “out in the open.” It’s often used as an adverb for “very,” “really,” or “clearly.”

Where does high-key come from?

High-key is a technical photography term for particularly bright lighting style. It’s been in use since the early 1900s. Before then, in the world of music, sound, and public speaking, high-key described notes with a high pitch, with evidence dating to the 1800s.

These days, the slang high-key is used a bit differently, though it may draw from notions of “bright” and “pitch” as in the term’s historical senses. First came the slang low-key, for “casual” or “on the down-low,” in the late 2000s. It was being used as an adverb—e.g., “I’m low-key into her,” to express mild interest—by the 2010s in hip-hop lyrics.

High-key functions as a natural opposite to low-key: characterizing something done with intensity, energy, or calling attention to itself.

An early instance comes in the 2013 song “3 The Hardway” by rapper Young Roddy:

Spend on smoke what these ni**as spend on for the whole Key

Low key, or High key

Drop a piano on your head if you try me

Or Young Roddy fly in the Maserati

It was likely Drake, as with so many slangs terms in the 2010s, who helped popularize high-key on Nicki Minaj’s 2014 track “Only”:

Yeah, low-key or maybe high-key

I been peeped that you like me, you know?

How is high-key used in real life?

High-key is common in hip-hop lyrics, even as the title of some songs, such as R&B artist’s Che Ecru’s 2016 “HIGHKEY.”

But it has spread to mainstream youth slang, where it can be used as an adjective for “intense” or “overt” (e.g., “The party was high-key”) or as an adverb for “a lot,” “very much,” or “obviously” (e.g., “I’m high-key about this new Ariana Grande single”)

Well…I just paid off one of my student loans. It wasn’t the big one but it’s something. I’m highkey happy too.

— [redacted] (@_mister151) November 2, 2018

Im highkey pissed at my mom

— woo love club (@parkseonghwaa) November 16, 2018

More examples of high-key:

“The place I lived up in Georgia in high school—I was in the forest…Like high-key, middle of nowhere, no cars type shit. It was really peaceful and serene…”
—Chester Watson quoted by GFarmaNews, October 2018

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.