tonal

[tohn-l]

adjective

Music.

1. pertaining to or having tonality.

tonal

/ ˈtəʊnəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to tone

2. of, relating to, or utilizing the diatonic system; having an established key Compare atonal

3. 1. (of an answer in a fugue) not having the same melodic intervals as the subject, so as to remain in the original key

   2. denoting a fugue as having such an answer Compare real 1

Other Word Forms

• tonally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of tonal¹

1770–80; < Medieval Latin tonālis . See tone, -al ¹

Example Sentences

It was an important tonal balance to get right because the story couldn’t become so wild that it felt unbelievable.

From Los Angeles Times

Shot on 35mm VistaVision, “One Battle After Another” will be a rare chance to see Anderson bring his sly digressions, oddball humor and tonal whiplash to a canvas usually reserved for Bayhem.

From Los Angeles Times

But this constant tonal waffling results in an audience that sees something strange and laughs because they’ve been trained by filmmakers to think that, when something is uncomfortable, laughter is the appropriate response.

From Salon

And that could mark a tonal shift in how the Lionesses are perceived culturally, according to Nicola Kemp, editorial director of marketing company Creativebrief.

From BBC

Both were incredible experiences, but really dark characters and just disturbing stuff, so I felt primed and ready for something tonally different and something that leaned more towards comedy.

From Salon