Word
In Japanese
monotony; monotone; dullness
monotone
Japanese from JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0. All sources.
Definitions
01unvaried speech
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. a way of talking where your voice stays at the same pitch and does not go up or down.
n. a vocal delivery or sound characterised by a single, unvaried pitch and a lack of expressive inflection.
“The teacher spoke in a boring monotone that made it hard to stay awake.”
“The narrator delivered the entire documentary in a flat monotone, which unfortunately drained the dramatic historical events of their emotional impact.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
02without pitch change
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. having only one sound or tone that does not change.
adj. consisting of or uttered in a single unvaried tone.
“The robot had a monotone voice that sounded very unnatural.”
“His monotone recitation of the poem suggested he had memorised the words without understanding their underlying sentiment.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03mathematical function
C1 · Advanced Mathematics Technical
adj. describes a line or function that only goes up or only goes down, never both.
adj. describing a function or sequence that is either entirely non-increasing or entirely non-decreasing over a given interval.
“The graph shows a monotone increase in temperature over the last hour.”
“The researcher proved that the sequence was monotone and bounded, which was sufficient to demonstrate its convergence.”
Usage
In technical contexts, 'monotonic' is often preferred over 'monotone' as the adjective form.
Synonyms
Antonyms
04to speak without inflection
C2 · Proficiency Formal
v. to talk in a way that does not change your voice level.
v. to utter or speak in an unvarying tone lacking modulation.
“He tended to monotone when he was reading long lists of numbers.”
“The witness began to monotone as the questioning dragged into its fourth hour, showing signs of extreme exhaustion.”
Usage
This verb is less common than the noun or adjective forms and is often used intransitively.
Antonyms
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944EikenEikenTest in Practical English ProficiencyThe English proficiency test from the Eiken Foundation of Japan, widely taken by Japanese students. Grades run from 5 to 1, with Pre-1 and Pre-2 between them.Pre-1
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/monotone
「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0