# monotone

/ˈmɑnəˌtoʊn/ (US) · /mˈɒnətˌəʊn/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/monotone
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. unvaried speech

noun · CEFR B2

a way of talking where your voice stays at the same pitch and does not go up or down.

For teachers: 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.

### 2. without pitch change

adjective · CEFR B2

having only one sound or tone that does not change.

For teachers: 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.

### 3. mathematical function

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

describes a line or function that only goes up or only goes down, never both.

For teachers: 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.

### 4. to speak without inflection

verb · CEFR C2 · Formal

to talk in a way that does not change your voice level.

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- The teacher's monotone made it hard for the students to stay awake.
- The speaker's monotone delivery failed to engage the audience, leading to a noticeable drop in attendance for the second half of the lecture.
- While the poet intended to evoke a sense of quiet reflection, the actor's monotone performance stripped the verses of their emotional weight and rhythmic complexity.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.