How to Use overtone in a Sentence

overtone

noun
  • While there are racial overtones to this law, this is not a race issue.
    — Ken Daley, NOLA.com, 2 Oct. 2017
  • The league’s work could not help but carry colonial overtones.
    — Branko Milanovic, Foreign Affairs, 21 June 2022
  • Reeds rasp, bows grind, voices growl, and strings shimmer with overtones.
    — Burkhard Bilger, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023
  • Others hate it because of its rapey overtones and in-between tones.
    — Danielle Kraese, The New Yorker, 14 June 2023
  • The bright coral color has rose overtones before fading to ivory.
    — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 22 May 2024
  • The tree boasts showy clusters of white flowers with shell-pink overtones in early spring.
    — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 22 Apr. 2026
  • For air, dashes of light blue; for water, a deep-blue hue with copper overtones.
    — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2024
  • The same can be said for chimichurri wings that accented the flames with herbal overtones of cilantro.
    — Mike Sutter, ExpressNews.com, 27 Feb. 2020
  • But how did a photo with such blatant racial overtones make it onto the site to begin with?
    — Anne Branigin, The Root, 8 Jan. 2018
  • These are similar techniques to what is used to break down a sound into its overtones.
    — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 1 July 2024
  • The overtones created by the two of them singing together are thrilling.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 6 May 2024
  • The pace rapidly shifted to lyrical, modern and tap dances, along with some comedic overtones.
    — Elizabeth Moore, NOLA.com, 13 May 2018
  • There is no religious overtone.
    — John Wisely, Freep.com, 1 Oct. 2025
  • This results in overtones, akin to the overtones of sound waves produced by a guitar or piano.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 3 Oct. 2023
  • The coconut milk and coconut cream used in the vanilla ice cream gives it a distinct overtone of coconut.
    — Rebekah Denn, The Seattle Times, 22 June 2017
  • In terms of flavor, the blend brings a richness and a semi-sweet overtone that works well at the morning table.
    — Chris MacIas, sacbee.com, 4 June 2017
  • There are many faster vibrations—called overtones—on top of the main vibration, each with their own volume.
    — Science Buddies, Scientific American, 19 Apr. 2018
  • The political overtones of the wrangling here are at least worth noting.
    — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 8 Dec. 2025
  • Some of the exchanges have been tinged with racial overtones, even if unintentional.
    — Gromer Jeffers Jr, Dallas Morning News, 16 Feb. 2026
  • Powdered pearl blonde Think about the color of pearls, with their base cream shade and shimmering gray overtone.
    — Fiona Embleton, Glamour, 10 May 2026
  • The bass triplets don’t have their full impact, and the sub-bass quarter notes only appear as overtones that lack any real heft.
    — Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 30 Mar. 2026
  • There were floral smocks, strapless dresses, oversized jackets and a grunge overtone with messy ‘just got out of bed’ hair.
    — Laia Farran Graves, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
  • With water, citrus overtones are more present, along with cherry Pez, charcoal, and some brioche french toast.
    — Chris Perugini, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
  • This song is also just damn good, dark and brooding with the kind of spiritual overtones that makes any song sound regal.
    — Kat Bein, Billboard, 20 Sep. 2017
  • The killings had caste overtones but were ostensibly for the crime of defecating outside.
    — The Economist, 17 Nov. 2019
  • Especially in our District, where a lot of the blame for our city’s ills includes racial overtones.
    — Baltimore Sun Media, Baltimore Sun, 11 Apr. 2024
  • The spiritual overtones that had so inspired the author were also a common part of the act.
    — Erik Ofgang, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Mar. 2023
  • President Rosa Leal, who questioned the racist overtones of some of the comments made.
    — Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2023
  • With its overtones of anti-Semitism, the case swept over France and almost plunged it into a civil war.
    — Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Aug. 2019
  • That’s when Jones used a word that sometimes has homophobic overtones, Platt said.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 21 June 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overtone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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