sotto voce

adverb or adjective

sot·to vo·ce | \ ˌsä-tō-ˈvō-chē

How to pronounce sotto voce (audio)

\

Definition of sotto voce

1 : under the breath : in an undertone also : in a private manner

2 : very softly —used as a direction in music

Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about sotto voce

Keep scrolling for more

Did You Know?

It’s no secret: in our first example sentence, sotto voce functions as an adverb, modifying the verb tell. But sotto voce, which was borrowed into English from the Italian word sottovoce (literally meaning "under the voice"), can also serve as an adjective. That’s the role it plays in our second example sentence. The adverb sense first appeared in English in the 18th century and soon afterward found use in musical directions calling for whispered vocals. The adjective sense came about in the early 19th century.

Examples of sotto voce in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Are people leaning in intensely, speaking sotto voce? — Steven Levy, Wired, "Videoconferencing Needs to Climb Out of the Uncanny Valley," 18 June 2020 As for the politics, consider the persistently leftward tilt of American art culture ever since—a residual hankering, however sotto voce, to change the world. — Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, "The Lasting Influence of Mexico’s Great Muralists," 24 Feb. 2020 In the background, his parents contend sotto voce with his fixation. — John Lahr, The New Yorker, "Todd Haynes Rewrites the Hollywood Playbook," 4 Nov. 2019 His Conservative rivals and some skeptics in Liberal Party circles had already been asking, sotto voce, who exactly that person was. — David Shribman, Los Angeles Times, "Canada’s Justin Trudeau says he’s evolved since wearing brownface. Will voters accept that?," 21 Sep. 2019 In remarkable scenes that flustered even the sotto voce BBC commentators, opposition lawmakers threw themselves at the silk-canopied speaker’s chair, trying in vain to keep him from getting to his feet and allowing Parliament to be suspended. — BostonGlobe.com, "When a security team finally tore the lawmakers away, the speaker, John Bercow, remained studiously seated, causing one of the BBC commentators to marvel under her voice, “He’s not going to go.”," 11 Sep. 2019 Then Ansari dials down his loud and nasal drawl to sotto voce. — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, "The Productive Ambivalence of Aziz Ansari in His Comeback Netflix Special," 13 July 2019 His vibratoless, nasal-toned, sotto voce croon floated with seeming detachment above his guitar. — Matt Schudel, Washington Post, "João Gilberto, a quiet and leading voice of Brazil’s bossa nova music, dies at 88," 6 July 2019 Openly cooperating with Israel without resolving the future of Jerusalem and its Islamic holy sites surely would provoke opposition from religious Saudis, though only sotto voce given the crown prince’s severe repression of domestic opponents. — Karen Elliott House, WSJ, "Will Netanyahu Go to Riyadh?," 6 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sotto voce.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about sotto voce

Listen to Our Podcast about sotto voce

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Dictionary Entries near sotto voce

Statistics for sotto voce

Last Updated

30 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Sotto voce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sotto%20voce. Accessed 11 Aug. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

malaise

Listen to the pronunciation of malaise

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Original Meanings Quiz

Which of the following is the earliest known sense of the word awe?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.