What are Tone Words? List of 300+ Useful Words to Describe Tone

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It is amazing how words can magically change someone’s mood by just reading them. Words are powerful. It can build or destroy a relationship. It can make you feel loved or rejected. It can bring hope or despair. In this article, you will learn about tone words.

Tone Words

What are Tone Words?

Referred to the emotional quality of writing. They are specific words the author use in order to emphasize the mood of the character in the story or the attitude of the author himself. It allows readers to learn about a character’s personality, thus, giving voice to it. In non-fiction, tone words, reflect the author’s thoughts. In fiction, tone words help set the mood of the situation, whether it is happy or sad, and so on.

If you are going to use tone words, you have to consider the following:

1. The reason why you are writing about the subject matter.
2. For whom this writing is intended.
3. The lessons you would want to impart to your readers and the realization you hope them to have.

Tone Words v.s. Mood Words

It should not be mistaken for mood words because they are completely different. Tone words refer to the author’s feeling about the subject, while mood words refer to what the readers feel about the whole thing. It is the emotional effect each word creates for the audience. Tone words can change in the next paragraph, while mood words stay the same all throughout. Tone is the attitude, while the mood is the personality. Personality cannot be adjusted, but attitude can be.

Types of Tone Words

Positive Tone Words

If you want your reader to buy into your idea, use positive tone words. Remember that tone reflects the writer’s attitude towards the reader, so use words that will encourage your reader to read further and be convinced about the message you want to relay.

Negative Tone Words

It is kind of risky to use a negative tone as it tends to make the reader feel defensive and angry. They may also dislike the author in the long run if he continues to use such tone. Negative tone is used to urge compliance. The author may be successful in doing such, but it would leave a feeling to the readers that they were obliged, thus unhappy cooperation.

Neutral Tone Words

is defined as platonic words, no feelings, just facts. The risk of using neutral tone is that it is up to the reader to interpret the message you are conveying. They may perceive it as negative depending on the mood of the reader.

Funny Tone Words

or comic words are used not only to make readers laugh, but also to present complicated or difficult concepts in a lighter manner.

Here is the list of sample tone words and their meaning.

Positive Tone Words

1. compassion- sympathy
2. dignified- nobility
3. exuberant-great excitement
4. lighthearted- without trouble or worry
5. whimsical- out of ordinary

Negative Tone Words

1. bleak- gloomy
2. disparaging- insulting
3. egotistical-conceited
4. haughty- arrogant
5. menacing- threatening

Neutral Tone Words

1. ambivalent- undecided
2. complex-complicated
3. detached-distant
4. docile-submissive
5. taciturn- reserved

Funny Tone Words

1. animated- to be lively
2. blithe- carefree
3. witty- clever
4. silly- absurd
5. hilarious- someone or something very funny

If you happen to possess a talent in using words to influence, by all means, use them to change the world for the better.

List of Tone Words

Learn 300+ Words to Describe Tone in English

• Instructive
• Intimate
• Introspective
• Familiar
• Fanciful
• Farcical
• Fatalistic
• Fearful
• Domineering
• Doubtful
• Dramatic
• Dreary
• Dubious
• Accusatory
• Acerbic
• Acrimonious
• Admonishing
• Adoring
• Affectionate
• Affectation
• Annoyed
• Antagonistic
• Anxious
• Apathetic
• Apologetic
• Empathetic
• Enchant
• Endearing
• Enraged
• Ambiguous
• Ambivalent
• Amused
• Animated
• Enthusiastic
• Erudite
• Eulogistic
• Appreciative
• Apprehensive
• Approving
• Ardent
• Arrogant
• Audacious
• Authoritarian
• Baffled
• Bantering
• Belligerent
• Bemused
• Bold
• Boorish
• Brisk
• Abashed
• Abhorring
• Abstruse
• Absurd
• Brusque
• Burlesque
• Calm
• Candid
• Capricious
• Casual
• Caustic
• Celebratory
• Benevolent
• Bewildered
• Biting
• Bitter
• Blithe
• Blunt
• Censorious
• Ceremonial of
• Cheerful
• Cheery
• Choleric
• Churlish
• Clinical
• Colloquial
• Comforting
• Comic
• Commanding
• Compassionate
• Complex
• Complicated
• Factual
• Fervent
• Flippant
• Complimentary
• Conceited
• Concerned
• Confounded
• Confute to
• Contented
• Contentious
• Conversational
• Critical
• Curt
• Cynical
• Demanding
• Depressed
• Derisive
• Derogatory
• Forthright
• Frantic
• Frightened
• Gloomy
• Grand
• Grave
• Grim
• Despairing
• Desperate
• Detached
• Diabolic
• Conciliatory
• Condemnatory
• Condescending
• Didactic
• Insistent
• Insolent
• Diffident
• Direct
• Disappointed
• Disbelieving
• Disdainful
• Disgusted
• Disrespectful
• Disturbed
• Dogmatic
• Earnest
• Ironic
• Irascible

Tone Words | Infographic

• Eloquent
• Embarrassed
• Emotive
• Euphoric
• Lyrical
• Malicious
• Harsh
• Haughty
• Hilarious
• Histrionic
• Hollow
• Matter–of-fact
• Meditative
• Melancholic
• Hostile
• Humorous
• Impartial
• Impassioned
• Impassive
• Lively
• Frivolous
• Frustrated
• Furious
• Gentle
• Ghoulish
• Giddy
• Gleeful
• Ebullient
• Impudent
• Incisive
• Incredulous
• Indifferent
• Irritated
• Jocund
• Jovial
• Effusive
• Egotistical
• Elated
• Joyful
• Joyous
• Ecstatic
• Elegiac
• Elevated
• Evasive
• Exculpatory
• Exhilarated
• Exhortatory
• Expectant
• Exuberant
• Facetious
• Hapless
• Hopeful
• Inflammatory
• Informal
• Informative
• Insecure
• Insipid
• Hopeless
• Laudatory
• Learned
• Horrified
• Sarcastic
• Sardonic
• Satiric
• Lugubrious
• Selfish
• Sentimental
• Serene
• Serious
• Severe
• Lofty
• Loving
• Ludicrous
• Melodramatic
• Impatient
• Impertinent
• Indirect
• Irreverent
• Lighthearted

Words for Tone | Infographic

• Somber
• Sophomoric
• Placid
• Playful
• Modest
• Moralistic
• Mournful
• Mysterious
• Poignant
• Psychotic
• Questioning
• Sanguine
• Speculative
• Sprightly
• Stable
• Optimistic
• Oratorical
• Outraged
• Outspoken
• Overbearing
• Paranoid
• Mirthful
• Mischievous
• Mock
• Mock-heroic
• Nervous
• Shocking
• Sinister
• Sharp
• Restrained
• Respectful
• Risible
• Reticent
• Reverent
• Ridiculous
• Righteous
• Skeptical
• Pretentious
• Provocative
• Pathetic
• Patronizing
• Sly
• Solemn
• Nonchalant
• Nonplussed
• Nostalgic
• Obdurate
• Objective
• Obsequious
• Ominous
• Pompous
• Powerful
• Pedantic
• Penitent
• Seductive
• Self-assured
• Shocked
• Pensive
• Pessimistic
• Petty
• Scholarly
• Scornful
• Self-depreciating
• Reassuring
• Recalcitrant
• Reflective
• Relaxed
• Reminiscent
• Resigned
• Romantic

Words for Tone | Infographic

• Tense
• Terse
• Thoughtful
• Taunting
• Tender
• Tranquil
• Uncertain
• Threatening
• Timorous
• Tragic
• Stately
• Vibrant
• Vindictive
• Vitriolic
• Whimsical
• Wistful
• Worshipful
• Stern
• Stolid
• Straightforward
• Strident
• Subdued
• Supercilious
• Suspenseful
• Suspicious
• Sympathetic
• Unconcerned
• Uneasy
• Vexed
• Wrathful
• Wry
• Zealous

Words to Describe TONE | Image