keynote

1 of 3

noun (1)

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 3

verb

keynoted; keynoting; keynotes

transitive verb

1

: to deliver the keynote address at

2

: to set the keynote of

keynoter noun

keynoter

3 of 3

noun (2)

key·​not·​er

ˈkēˌnōtə(r), 

-ōtə-

: one that sets the keynote

especially : one that delivers a keynote speech

to serve as temporary chairman and keynoter of the Republican national convention

—Current Biography

Synonyms of keynote

Noun (1)

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

Examples of keynote in a Sentence

Noun (1)

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

But Apple Intelligence is just one of the three big focus areas Apple outlined during its keynote this week. —ArsTechnica, 11 June 2026

In a keynote speech in Croatia followed by an interview hosted by Deadline, veteran exec Henning Tewes outlined six main themes that would define the future of entertainment in Europe. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 10 June 2026

Verb

The shows were announced and teased as part of two separate panel discussions to open Wednesday’s AI on the Lot conference, which took place on the Amazon MGM Studios lot in Culver City and was keynoted by Albert Cheng, Amazon MGM Studios’ chief operating officer. —Brian Welk, IndieWire, 28 May 2026

Amazon is taking center stage at this year’s RTS London and will chair the bi-annual convention, with international chief Kelly Day set to keynote. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 6 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1877, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (2)

1882, in the meaning defined above

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