keynote

1 of 2

noun

key·​note ˈkē-ˌnōt 

1

: the fundamental or central fact, idea, or mood

Sadness is the keynote of this little collection.

—Books Abroad

One keynote of his mind has been his interest in deceit, his perceptions about the use of flimflam in modern life …

—Stanley Kauffmann

2

music : the first and harmonically fundamental tone of a scale

3

: keynote address

Following Tuesday morning's keynote, sessions progress through all areas.

—Jim Rosenberg

Sprinting from workshops to motivational keynotes featuring famous faces and wannabes, I came away inspired and armed with information …

—Peggy Klaus

keynote

2 of 2

verb

keynoted; keynoting; keynotes

transitive verb

1

: to deliver the keynote address at

2

: to set the keynote of

keynoter noun

Synonyms of keynote

Noun

• heart
• core
• essence
• root
• point
• kernel
• gist

Examples of keynote in a Sentence

Noun

Humor is the keynote of the play.

the need for a greater sense of self-reliance is the keynote of his self-help message

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

At another keynote during the Zalando event David Fisher, founder of media and fashion brand High Snobiety, spoke about how beauty, sport and groceries are markers of status and offer even more usable insights. — Cathrin Schaer, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2026

At Meta’s campus, crowds lined up outside for the keynote speech as people snapped photos with a furry mascot called Jolly for the company’s AI agent Muse. — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Verb

The unlikely duo of Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon keynoted a Washington conference to demand a stop to AI, its data centers, and the risks AI poses to jobs and even to the human species. — Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 24 Sep. 2026

The free streamer, which is built into Samsung Smart TVs, already houses channels from the likes of Dhar Mann, which is set to keynote at MIPCOM, and Michelle Khare. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1877, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing keynote

• keynote address
• keynote speaker

Rhymes for keynote

• afloat
• azote
• banknote
• bareboat
• benzoate
• connote
• cutthroat
• demote
• denote
• devote
• endnote
• footnote

Kids Definition

keynote

1 of 2 noun

key·​note ˈkē-ˌnōt 

1

: the first and harmonically fundamental tone of a scale

2

: the fundamental or central fact, idea, or mood

humor is the keynote of the play

keynote

2 of 2 verb

1

: to set the keynote of

2

: to give the keynote address at

keynoted the convention

keynoter noun