tone-setter
noun
: a person or thing that determines or establishes a quality, feeling, or attitude
I like to use the joke as a tone-setter for my speeches.
Examples of tone-setter in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On defense, the Luke Hughes contract was a tone-setter.
—
Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Murray did his best to be a tone-setter, though, contributing a handful of stops and looking spry at both ends.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2025
Manning, who has 10 goals and four assists on the season, has been a tone-setter for the program in more ways than her dynamic on-field ability.
—Greg Dudek, Boston Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Guerrero is a tone-setter for this offense, and his struggles at the plate have been a key reason for the slide.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Lynch said Jones is the perfect tone-setter for this Mount Carmel edition.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
The first-team All-Trinity League selection is a tone-setter for the defense.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 5 Aug. 2025
Out now, the first episode serves as a tone-setter with a conversation from Troxler and Patrick on their own.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Murray did his best to be a tone-setter, though, contributing a handful of stops and looking spry at both ends.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2025
Manning, who has 10 goals and four assists on the season, has been a tone-setter for the program in more ways than her dynamic on-field ability.
—Greg Dudek, Boston Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Guerrero is a tone-setter for this offense, and his struggles at the plate have been a key reason for the slide.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Lynch said Jones is the perfect tone-setter for this Mount Carmel edition.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
The first-team All-Trinity League selection is a tone-setter for the defense.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 5 Aug. 2025
Out now, the first episode serves as a tone-setter with a conversation from Troxler and Patrick on their own.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Tone-setter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tone-setter. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share