tonal

adjective

ton·​al ˈtō-nᵊl How to pronounce tonal (audio)
Synonyms of tonalnext
1
: of or relating to tone, tonality, or tonicity
2
: having tonality
tonally adverb

Examples of tonal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Inspiration came from the toe pads of frogs, and the shoe’s launch colorway leaned into the theme further with a tonal green dot pattern invoking poison dart frogs. Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 30 June 2026 What was the biggest tonal challenge in writing characters who are both deeply flawed and deeply lovable? Dominique Fluker, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Keep things on the tonal side with swirls of black, dark blue, light blue, lavender, and white. Amanda Le, InStyle, 29 June 2026 Over the course of ten episodes, Patricia transformed into the tonal lynchpin of the series. Josef Adalian, Vulture, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for tonal

Word History

First Known Use

1776, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tonal was in 1776

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Cite this Entry

“Tonal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tonal. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

tonal

adjective
ton·​al ˈtōn-ᵊl How to pronounce tonal (audio)
: of or relating to a musical tone
tonally adverb

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