intonate

UK/ˈɪntəʊneɪt/

intonate verb: to intone or recite (words), especially emphatically or in a chanting manner.

Verb (1)

intonate (third-person singular simple present intonates, present participle intonating, simple past and past participle intonated)

(dated, intransitive, transitive) To intone or recite (words), especially emphatically or in a chanting manner.
- […] we have no doubt whatever that the recitation of verse on the stage was of an artificial and semi-musical character. It was undoubtedly much more sustained and intonated with a slow and measured stateliness, which, whilst harmonizing it with the other circumstances of solemnity in Greek...1840 February, Thomas De Quincey, “Theory of Greek Tragedy”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume 47, number 292, page 153
- His manner on the platform and his speech were those of a drony, sing-song, intonating Episcopal minister, devoid of life and spirit.1911, Charles Clinton Nourse, chapter 2, in Autobiography, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
(dated, transitive) To say or speak with a certain intonation.
- “Is this Mr. O’Connor’s chamber?” inquired a voice of peculiar richness, intonated not unpleasingly with a certain melodious modification of the brogue […]1845 Jun, Sheridan Le Fanu, chapter 6, in The Cock and the Anchor, volume 1, Dublin: William Curry, page 74
- Miss Bremer talked plentifully in her strange manner—good English enough for a foreigner, but so oddly intonated and accented, that it is impossible to be sure of more than one word in ten.1858 January 6 – 1862 August 15 (date written), Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Rome”, in Passages from the French and Italian Note-books of Nathaniel Hawthorne, volume I, London: Strahan & Co., […], published...
(dated, transitive) To intone or vocalize (musical notes); to sound the tones of the musical scale; to practise the sol-fa.
- The composer so ordered it, that the king’s part should be one holding note, in a pitch proper for a Contratenor, for that was the king’s voice. Nor was he inattentive to other particulars, for he contrived his own part, which was the Bass, in such a manner, that every other note he sung was an...1776, John Hawkins, A General History of the Science and Practice of Music, Volume 2, Book 4, Chapter 3 p. 431
- A comma or colon was intonated by the fall of a minor third from the key-note on the ultimate or penultimate and ultimate syllables of the clause […]1844, The order for morning and evening prayer, and the Litany : with plain-tune, according to the use of the United Church of England and Ireland, London: J. Burns,Editor’s Preface

Verb (2)

intonate (third-person singular simple present intonates, present participle intonating, simple past and past participle intonated)

(obsolete) To thunder or to utter in a sonorous or thunderous voice.
- But agaynst all such as contemne the holy scriptures & cast awaye the law of theyr LORDE God, wyllynge neither to enter them selues, nor yet suffryng other, christ intonateth and thonderethe on this manner […]1543, Thomas Beccon, A pleasaunt newe nosegaye full of many godly and swete floures, London: John Gough, Dedicatory epistle
- […] I hold a Prince ought not vvholly to neglect Military Affairs, but verſe himſelf in, and accuſtome himſelf to them, that he may intonate fear into Neighbours, […]1663, Edward Waterhous[e], chapter I, in Fortescutus Illustratus; or A Commentary on that Nervous Treatise De Laudibus Legum Angliæ, Written by Sir John Fortescue Knight, […], London: […] Tho[mas]...

intonate meaning in Urdu

intonate in Urdu

آواز دینا, گرجنا, کڑکنا

Examples of intonate in a sentence

With actorlike polish he intonated through the third page […]1985, David H. Rothman, chapter 10, in The Silicon Jungle, New York: Ballantine, page 171:
[…] another child of foreign parentage intonates his English with the cadence peculiar to the language of his parents.1920, Paul Klapper, chapter 8, in Teaching Children to Read, New York: Appleton, page 118:

Forms of intonate

third-person singular present	intonates
present participle	intonating
past participle	intonated
past	intonated

Origin of intonate

First attested in 1795; borrowed from Medieval Latin intonātus, perfect passive participle of intonō (“to vocalize, chant”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from in- (inchoative prefix) + tonus (“pitch, tone”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix); doublet of intone. Cognate with French entonner, Italian intonare.

First attested in 1631; borrowed from Latin intonātus, perfect passive participle of intonō (“to thunder forth”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Questions about intonate

What does intonate mean?: Intonate means to intone or recite (words), especially emphatically or in a chanting manner.
What is intonate in Urdu?: Intonate in Urdu is آواز دینا, گرجنا, کڑکنا. See Intonate meaning in Urdu.
How do you use intonate in a sentence?: With actorlike polish he intonated through the third page […]
What part of speech is intonate?: Intonate is a verb.
How do you pronounce intonate?: Intonate is pronounced /ˈɪntəʊneɪt/ (UK).
What is the past tense of intonate?: The past tense of intonate is intonated.

Words near intonate in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: intonate (page history and authors); intonate (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this entry: “intonate.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/intonate. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.