1
as in highbrow
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2
as in sententious
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of high-toned
Blake is accused of having drifted into high-toned seriousness; Albert, now writing for television, is branded a sellout.
—
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2025
Bright high-toned notes of cherry and strawberry show on the palate with an intriguing texture that hints at a bit of tannin.
—Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
The notes of high-toned bright fruit—think sour cherry, balsamic and black tea flavors—lend it a lovely sweet-savory profile.
—Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
This one is savory and delicate with bright high-toned berry fruit, warm spices and a thread of richer, dark plum notes.
—Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
This version from Pala winery hits the high-toned cherry fruit notes, while wild herbs resonate on the finish.
—Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Syrah lends depth and body to the region’s signature malbec’s high-toned blueberry fruit and supple tannins.
—Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 21 Dec. 2023
The last decade surely produced some of the finest television ever, spanning high-toned dramas and offbeat comedies, several of them masterpieces unlikely to have been made under any other circumstances.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 6 June 2023
Blending syrah into the region’s signature malbec lends depth and body to malbec’s high-toned blueberry fruit and supple tannins.
—Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2025
Bright high-toned notes of cherry and strawberry show on the palate with an intriguing texture that hints at a bit of tannin.
—Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
The notes of high-toned bright fruit—think sour cherry, balsamic and black tea flavors—lend it a lovely sweet-savory profile.
—Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
This one is savory and delicate with bright high-toned berry fruit, warm spices and a thread of richer, dark plum notes.
—Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
This version from Pala winery hits the high-toned cherry fruit notes, while wild herbs resonate on the finish.
—Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Syrah lends depth and body to the region’s signature malbec’s high-toned blueberry fruit and supple tannins.
—Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 21 Dec. 2023
The last decade surely produced some of the finest television ever, spanning high-toned dramas and offbeat comedies, several of them masterpieces unlikely to have been made under any other circumstances.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 6 June 2023
Blending syrah into the region’s signature malbec lends depth and body to malbec’s high-toned blueberry fruit and supple tannins.
—Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high-toned
Adjective
-
This conclusion will shock anyone who knows Twain only through his writing, in which the author is wise and witty and, above all, devastating in his portrayal of frauds, cretins, and sententious bores.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
9 May 2025
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Audiences have no choice but to exist in the theatrical moment, without recourse to linear logic, sententious language or psychological epiphanies.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
But these cerebral dispatches realize their audience often experiences the work communally and tends to enjoy it most when accompanied by flowing synths and insistent drums.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
-
Expect subversion, something a little weird, traditional craft turned cerebral.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
The best way to express this high-minded idealism was by mass-producing extremely potent, extremely pure LSD, almost as if its non-dilution was an expression of their own virtue.—
John Semley,
Rolling Stone,
19 Apr. 2025
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For generations, students and researchers from around the world have flocked to Boston, drawn not just to a college or university but to a region where high-minded intellectual life was part of its brand.—
Jenna Russell,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
On the pages of National Review and, after 1966, on Firing Line, Buckley pioneered the do-your-own-research rhetorical style: whataboutism and verbal misdirections that often slipped into intellectual nihilism.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
-
Her wide-ranging symphony of essays on Black womanhood is a treat—incisive, intellectual, intimate, funny, and formally inventive.—
Gabrielle Bellot,
Literary Hub,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
In Families Like Ours, the slowly rising North Sea forces Denmark to follow Holland’s example and—in an orderly and civilized manner—evacuate the entire country.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
21 June 2025
-
In civilized countries, law enforcement officers wear nametags and numbered badges.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
8 June 2025
Adjective
-
New money families fought for their place at the table with old money institutions by throwing undeniably elegant balls (with the proper soup) and funding irresistibly cultured opera houses (with the proper spectators).—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
12 June 2025
-
Goldwyn continued to crave the skills of savvy, street-smart writers like Hellman, the kind of intellect who might elevate an industry many cultured people still looked down their nose at.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
Imagine being able to see precisely how team members contribute to a project—not just who speaks up in meetings (as evidenced by transcripts) or turns in polished presentations, but who drafts, refines, questions, and rethinks.—
David Ferrucci,
Fortune,
30 June 2025
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The green version, limited to 78 pieces and sold by Louis Erard, uses a polished 42mm stainless steel case and is paired with a black toad leather strap.—
Matthew Catellier,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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And a slightly surreal, fantastical closing scene is puzzling and pretentious rather than provocative.—
Stephen Farber,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2025
-
Folks in foodie online circles can be pretentious about American-Chinese food.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“High-toned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high-toned. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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