Definition of TONAL

tonal

Plural: tonals

Adjective

  • Pertaining to or characterized by musical tone or tonality.
  • employing variations in pitch to distinguish meanings of otherwise similar words
    • "Chinese is a tonal language"
  • having tonality; i.e. tones and chords organized in relation to one tone such as a keynote or tonic

Adj

  • Of or relating to tones or tonality.
  • Of or relating to the general character, mood, or trend of something.
  • Employing tones that have a predictable relationship to some tonic.
  • Employing differences in pitch (tones) to distinguish differences in the meaning of otherwise similar words (words which would otherwise be homophonic).

Noun

  • An animal companion which accompanies a person from birth to death.

Examples

  • His opponent’s silent concentration gave the Scrabble board a strangely tonal quality.

Origin / Etymology

From tone + -al.

Synonyms

tonic

Antonyms

atonal

Scrabble Score: 5

tonal: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
tonal: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
tonal: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 7

tonal: valid Words With Friends Word