high-toned

adjective

Definition of high-tonednext
1
as in highbrow

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sententious

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of high-toned Blake is accused of having drifted into high-toned seriousness; Albert, now writing for television, is branded a sellout. — Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2025 Bright high-toned notes of cherry and strawberry show on the palate with an intriguing texture that hints at a bit of tannin. — Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024 The notes of high-toned bright fruit—think sour cherry, balsamic and black tea flavors—lend it a lovely sweet-savory profile. — Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high-toned
  1. sententious
  2. cerebral
  3. high-minded
  4. intellectual
  5. civilized
  6. cultured
  7. polished
  8. pretentious
Adjective
  • Audiences have no choice but to exist in the theatrical moment, without recourse to linear logic, sententious language or psychological epiphanies.
    — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2025
  • This is a bracing, even novel, perspective on a war whose film depictions so often traffic in sententious Greatest Generation platitudes.
    — Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
Definition of sententious
Adjective
  • Our cerebral circuitry changes constantly—every day, new links are made amongst the 86 billion individual neurons in our heads, and old connections are allowed to fall away.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 17 Apr. 2025
  • While athleticism doesn’t hurt, the cerebral nature of safety shows minimal correlation between extreme athleticism and success at the next level.
    — Paul Dehner Jr., New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Definition of cerebral
Adjective
  • For generations, students and researchers from around the world have flocked to Boston, drawn not just to a college or university but to a region where high-minded intellectual life was part of its brand.
    — Jenna Russell, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
  • The business would draw inspiration from high-minded local establishments like The Monarch Bar and Ocean Prime.
    — David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2025
Definition of high-minded
Adjective
  • Iran has cultivated an astonishing intellectual and artistic depth with far fewer resources than many other nations.
    — Rebecca Ruth Gould, JSTOR Daily, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Framed as a biography of Jensen Huang, the only CEO Nvidia has ever had, the book is also something more interesting and revealing: a window onto the intellectual, cultural, and economic ecosystem that has led to the emergence of superpowerful AI.
    — James Surowiecki, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2025
Definition of intellectual
Adjective
  • The education of a nation’s citizenry, whether public or private, is the heartbeat of any sustaining and civilized culture.
    — Patricia A. Daniel, Baltimore Sun, 13 Apr. 2025
  • What started as a civilized, postwork affair with a sushi station escalated for many of the guests as more and more martinis were drunk from Madeline’s martini bar.
    — Elise Taylor, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of civilized
Adjective
  • Young says the higher butterfat content of cultured butter yields flakier pastries and creamier sauces.
    — Heather Riske, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2025
  • Turgenev, Conrad and James found something captivating about political revolutionaries who were also well educated, cultured and sensitive.
    — Max Chapnick, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2025
Definition of cultured
Adjective
  • Nanette Nanette Lepore Freedom Stretch Pants These straight-leg pants are at once casual and polished, thanks to a tab fly, buttoned back welt pockets, and hems that hit right above the ankles on most people.
    — Jamie Allison Sanders, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
  • The effortless and beachy hairstyle has taken a back seat in recent years to more polished styles like sleek bobs, liquid hair, and voluminous blowouts.
    — Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 18 Apr. 2025
Definition of polished
Adjective
  • Buckle up for this globe-trotting, CGI-heavy adventure that combines apocalyptic spectacle and family drama in the least pretentious way possible.
    — Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Jimbo, the most ridiculously pretentious egomaniac in rock-star history, seemed so excessive that no actor could play him, but Val Kilmer was up to the task.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2025
Definition of pretentious

Browse Nearby Words

high-ticket
high-toned
high-voltage
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Cite this Entry

“High-toned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high-toned. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.

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