as in harmonic
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Recent Examples of tonal
If the tonal whiplash doesn’t zap your spirit, the double-bummer of a relentlessly morbid penultimate episode and its impossibly bonkers finale has to leave you questioning whether Season 2 can get back on track.
—
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 23 Feb. 2026
The blue hue has been my favorite, making a soft statement with the tonal contrast.
—Quincy Bulin, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Feb. 2026
The film’s tricky tonal balance is striking, shifting from a satirical comedy to psychological horror with weight and impact to it.
—Blake Simons, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
The commendation marked a tonal change for the two offices.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tonal
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 23 Feb. 2026
The blue hue has been my favorite, making a soft statement with the tonal contrast.
—Quincy Bulin, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Feb. 2026
The film’s tricky tonal balance is striking, shifting from a satirical comedy to psychological horror with weight and impact to it.
—Blake Simons, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
The commendation marked a tonal change for the two offices.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tonal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tonal
Adjective
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This fever pitch is the product of countless factors, a harmonic convergence of sorts catalyzed by our central location and abundance of state-of-the-art facilities, underscored by about $700 million invested locally in the last 15 years alone.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
15 Feb. 2026
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The team noted that the figures represent new records for vacuum ultraviolet lasers generated via second harmonic generation.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The full force of Lawrence Sher’s cinematography, Karen Murphy’s production design and Hildur Guðnadóttir’s orchestral score is fabulous, combining to make something seedy, moody and extravagant.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
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With assistance from underground mainstay NoSaint, the sounds are a collage of loopy VST plugins that recall hunger-rap Drake, ethereal textures reminiscent of a Nintendo OST, and soaring orchestral organs.—
Serge Selenou,
Pitchfork,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Dopamine receptors moderate muscle contractions to create refined rhythmic movement.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
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The language has mystic overtones and rhythmic sections; it might be better felt than understood.—
Sarah Hepola,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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The Italian Jewish composer Salamone Rossi set Psalm 112 in Hebrew, in mainly chordal antiphony.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas News,
2 Mar. 2020
Adjective
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The choral elements on the record shine most vividly on the title track, which features polyphonic swells of voices humming melodies, overtaking the piano, dropping and then rising again.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2026
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Women who worked in shops sang together in bellowing, polyphonic unison.—
Emma Madden,
Pitchfork,
21 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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My introduction to homophonic translation came from my former teacher, Mónica de la Torre.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Jan. 2026
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How does this make any sense except as a very stupid, clumsy, idiotic no good way to give us a homophonic bridge to Gandalf.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
3 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Her lyrical explorations of navigating a deeply feeling heart earned her a reputation as an indie bard of melancholy and loneliness, and fans, in turn, forged an intense parasocial relationship with her.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
27 Feb. 2026
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Choosing to flip from a memoiristic lyrical style to one inspired by classic literature is smart.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tonal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tonal. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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