Monotone Meaning
/ˈmɒn.ə.təʊn/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjHaving a single unvaried pitch.
adjOf a function: that is always nonincreasing or nondecreasing on an interval.
Sentence Examples
He read the poem in a monotone.
If this is not satisfied, we cannot say that the function is monotone increasing.
Tom read out Mary's letter to us in a monotone voice.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The speaker used a dull ____ that never changed in pitch throughout the entire lecture.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The professor spoke in such a dry ____ that several students in the back of the large lecture hall began to feel very sleepy during the class.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"In the formal register, such variation is reduced and the talk has a more monotone, business-like quality."
— 1998, Roger W. Shuy, “Bureaucratic Language in Government and Business”, in Research on Telephone vs. In-Person Administrative Hearings, Georgetown University Press, page 76:
"There is a water-break formed by a small terrace of rock in mid-stream, and purling with a hollow, delicious monotone—an island of pebbles is above, with here and there smaller ones near the "forks.""
— 1846 October, Alfred B[illings] Street, “A Day’s Hunting about the Mongaup”, in George R[ex] Graham, editor, Graham’s American Monthly Magazine of Literature and Art, volume XXIX, number 4, Philadelphia, Pa.: George R. Graham & Co., […], →OCLC, page 190:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The speaker used a dull ____ that never changed in pitch throughout the entire lecture.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The professor spoke in such a dry ____ that several students in the back of the large lecture hall began to feel very sleepy during the class.