Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

undertone

 noun
     
un‧der‧tone [countable]
1 a feeling or quality that is not directly expressed but can still be recognized [↪ overtone]
undertone of
There was an undertone of sadness in her letter.
Opponents claim the policy has racist undertones.
2 literary if you speak in an undertone, you speak quietly
in an undertone
'Don't be too upset if he doesn't come,' said Drew in an undertone.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary