overtone

noun

over·​tone ˈō-vər-ˌtōn 

1

a

: one of the higher tones produced simultaneously with the fundamental and that with the fundamental comprise a complex musical tone : harmonic sense 1a

b

: harmonic sense 2

2

: the color of the light reflected (as by a paint)

3

: a secondary effect, quality, or meaning : suggestion, connotation

Examples of overtone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But as the former president tries to establish himself as the one, true Republican leader, religious overtones have pervaded his third presidential campaign. —Michael C. Bender, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024

At first, music labels wouldn’t even sign music with misogynistic overtones. —Amy Dubois Barnett, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024

Surveillance footage shared with CBS News shows the brazenness of the work behind the gallows and noose, which have a history of racist and threatening overtones. —Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 18 Mar. 2024

Liu’s trilogy, while wide-ranging, focused largely on Chinese characters and had specifically Chinese historical and political overtones. —James Poniewozik, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024

Biden’s embrace of strategies aimed at spurring development in specific locations marks a significant shift in U.S. policy, part of the broadest government intervention in the economy in at least four decades and one with significant political overtones. —Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024

On one level, the presence of African police officers may avoid some of the colonial overtones of past interventions, but some major problems remain: Few Kenyan officers are likely to speak French or Creole, for example, and Kenyan police have been accused of widespread abuses at home. —Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024

The setting — an isolated European outpost defending itself from small boats carrying foreigners — has strong political overtones. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2024

Many viewers said that as the threat of a Russian takeover receded, the program’s patriotic overtones became increasingly exaggerated. —Daria Mitiuk, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

overtone

noun

over·​tone -ˌtōn 

1

: any of a series of higher tones related to and produced along with a base tone that make up the whole sound of a musical tone

2

: an accompanying result, quality, or meaning : suggestion

the words carried an overtone of menace

Medical Definition

overtone

noun

over·​tone ˈō-vər-ˌtōn 

: one of the higher tones produced simultaneously with the fundamental and that with the fundamental comprise a complex musical tone