TONAL Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

tonal

adjective

Definition of tonal

as in harmonic

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of tonal But with Ameen on violin, this dynamic is inverted, and the intermingling of their strings on the recording provides a unique tonal color. — Levi Dayan, Pitchfork, 3 Nov. 2026 Directors-screenwriters Erica Rivinoja (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, South Park) and Alessandro Carloni (the Kung Fu Panda films) throw a lot — indeed too much — into the mix, with the storyline lapsing into confusion and tonal muddiness. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2026 There’s also a conventional late-film tonal shift that doesn’t work, said Odie Henderson in The Boston Globe. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 3 Nov. 2026 The warm, tonal color palette gives the overall look a surprsingly soft effect. — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 29 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tonal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tonal

Adjective

Ziggy Marley was headlining the show with Burning Spear, and the air was thick with the sound of harmonic lineage.

— Sophie Miller, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026
But at times, the caliber of their technical and harmonic choices sounds arty and sophisticated.

— Ernesto Lechner, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of harmonic

Adjective

The song, with its brilliantly ironic lyrics about a manipulative ex-partner, has become an anthem of catharsis, also driven by an exhilarating orchestral arrangement and the powerful voices of Rosi and Yahritza.

— Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 10 Nov. 2026
For orchestral music, like the opening scene to The Gospel According to the Other Mary by John Adams, the speaker did a fine job but probably isn't built for this kind of music.

— Christian de Looper, PC Magazine, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of orchestral

Adjective

The machines flashed with bright lights and played rhythmic sounds.

— New Yorker, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2026
One of the naturally occurring patterns of electrical activity in the brain is rhythmic neural firing at a frequency of 40 hertz, referred to as the gamma frequency.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of rhythmic

Adjective

Probably because at the time many of the time signatures and chordal progressions that Miles used were over the head of a young guitar player still functioning in the blues and folk idioms.

— Steve Baltin, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026
Hudson buttressed Al Kooper’s original organ part into a chordal fortress, part of an incendiary performance that surges to peak after peak.

— Jon Pareles, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025

Definition of chordal

Adjective

In this grid, the revealer is at 57-Across, clued with [Hides one’s central point, in a way … with a doubly homophonic hint to 20-, 30-, 38- and 48-Across].

— Sean McGowan, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
My introduction to homophonic translation came from my former teacher, Mónica de la Torre.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Jan. 2026

Definition of homophonic

Adjective

The film’s wondrously street-lyrical patter, its emblematic phrases and inflections, amount to a vast act of world-building—a lost milieu brought back to life in bygone clichés.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026
The book is a rich and lyrical telling of her childhood as the daughter of a dynasty of Manhattan wine sellers; her days on the New York City club scene of the late ’90s; her culinary studies, acting auditions, and restaurant jobs; and more.

— Tarajia Morrell, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of lyrical

Browse Nearby Words

ton

tonal

tone

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Tonal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tonal. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of tonal

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

impertinent

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes