monotone
adjective
- boring or lacking variety
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L324129 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈmɒn.ə.təʊn/ / /ˈmɑ.nə.toʊn/ / /ˈmɒn.ə.toʊn/
adj
Etymology: From the post-Classical Latin monotonus (“unvarying in tone”) or its etymon the Ancient Greek μονότονος (monótonos, “steady”, “unwavering”); compare cognate adjectives, namely the French monotone, the German monoton, the Italian monotono, and the Spanish monótono, as well as the slightly earlier English noun monotony and adjective monotonical.
- Having a single unvaried pitch.
“The prominence of the syllables is more monotone than in English, the intonation of the latter having a larger variation of stressed and unstressed syllables.”
“In the formal register, such variation is reduced and the talk has a more monotone, business-like quality.”
- Of a function: that is always nonincreasing or nondecreasing on an interval.
“The function f(x)#58;#61;x³ is monotone on #92;R, while g(x)#58;#61;x² is not.”
- Synonym of monochrome.
noun
Etymology: From the post-Classical Latin monotonus (“unvarying in tone”) or its etymon the Ancient Greek μονότονος (monótonos, “steady”, “unwavering”); compare cognate adjectives, namely the French monotone, the German monoton, the Italian monotono, and the Spanish monótono, as well as the slightly earlier English noun monotony and adjective monotonical.
- A single unvaried tone of speech or a sound.
“When Tima felt like her parents were treating her like a servant, she would speak in monotone and act as though she were a robot.”
“It is no very difficult matter to be loud in a high tone of voice; but to be loud and forcible in a low tone, requires great practice and management; this, however, may be facilitated by pronouncing forcibly at firſt in a low monotone; a monotone, though in a low key, and without force, is much more ſonorous and audible than when the voice ſlides up and down at almoſt every word, as it muſt do to be various.”
- A piece of writing in one strain throughout.
verb
Etymology: From the post-Classical Latin monotonus (“unvarying in tone”) or its etymon the Ancient Greek μονότονος (monótonos, “steady”, “unwavering”); compare cognate adjectives, namely the French monotone, the German monoton, the Italian monotono, and the Spanish monótono, as well as the slightly earlier English noun monotony and adjective monotonical.
- To speak in a monotone.