Word.ws English Dictionary

low-key

UK/ˌləʊˈkiː//ˌloʊˈki/

low-key adjective: dark; characterized by dark tones and muted colors.

low-key: dark; characterized by dark tones and muted colors
Image: che, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Adjective

low-key (comparative more low-key, superlative most low-key)

  1. Dark; characterized by dark tones and muted colors.
    • The classic example of low key photography is a black cat in a coal cellar. […] The most popular use of low-key photography is in making portraits of celebrities or theatrical personalities. These people demand either dignity or drama, and this type of lightning is appropriate for both.1942 November, Victor Keppler, “Key to Good Pictures”, in Popular Photography, →ISSN, page 98
    Antonyms:
    high-key
  2. (broadly, figuratively) Restrained, subtle, not trying to attract attention.
    • She deserves an Oscar for her low-key performance in that movie.
    • For a low-key, somewhat predictable meal, dinner at Basem's offers good value.1984 November 18, Patricia Brooks, “Specials Best at Low-Key Spot”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 22 Apr 2021

Adverb

low-key (comparative more low-key, superlative most low-key)

  1. (colloquial) In a low-key or surreptitious manner; secretively; understatedly; on the down-low.
    Synonyms:
    furtively
  2. (Canada, US, colloquial) Used as a downtoner; kind of.
    • I'm low key salty about the way that nigga did you but it seems like he still cares about you.2015, Lady Onyxx, Started From The Top Now I'm Here 3, page 81
    • Before I open the messages, I disable the activity notification so no one will know I'm low-key obsessed with a party I didn't get to attend.2018, Rachel Vincent, Strange New World
  3. (colloquial, African-American Vernacular) Actually; seriously.
    • Lowkey if you talk about any woman like this you gotta die2025 April 2, @wenchjaime, Twitter, archived from the original on 21 Jan 2026

low-key meaning in Malayalam and Kannada

low-key in Malayalam

modest, restrained, understated
പ്രാധാന്യം കുറഞ്ഞ, അധികം അറിയപ്പെടാത്ത, നിയന്ത്രിതമായ, മിതമായ, തീവ്രമല്ലാത്ത, ആവേശമില്ലാത്ത

low-key in Kannada

ಮಂದಮಟ್ಟದ, ತೀವ್ರತೆಯಿಲ್ಲದ, ಪ್ರಾಧಾನ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲದ, ಮಿತಿಯಲ್ಲಿರುವ

Examples of low-key in a sentence

  • [David Blaine's] deceptively low-key, ultracool manner leaves spectators more amazed than if he'd razzle-dazzled.1997 May 19, David Handelman, “The Wizard of Grunge”, in TIME, archived from the original on 05 Nov 2012:
  • The relatively low-key opening was attended by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, who declared "We have a brand-new station serviced with brand-new lines and new publicly owned trains.2023 October 18, Chris Howe, “Network News: Headbolt Lane station opens on Merseyrail”, in RAIL, number 994, page 22:
  • [Senator Todd] Young is a low-key Indiana lawmaker with an enthusiasm for wonky, but important national security issues.2025 April 11, Steve Inskeep, “One Republican tries to make sense of Trump's tariffs”, in NPR, archived from the original on 24 Apr 2025:
  • “I low-key think it’s an N.Y.U. production.”2023 September 25, Becky Hughes, quoting Alex Feinstein, “New York’s Hottest Steakhouse Was a Fake, Until Saturday Night”, in The New York...

Synonyms of low-key

Antonyms

10 more antonymsFewer antonyms

Forms of low-key

Adjective
comparativemore low-key
superlativemost low-key
alternative formlowkey
alternative formlow key
alternative formlowk
alternative formLWK
alternative formlwk
Adverb
comparativemore low-key
superlativemost low-key

Origin of low-key

From low + key.

Words formed from low-key

Words that rhyme with low-key

9 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about low-key

What does low-key mean?
Low-key means dark; characterized by dark tones and muted colors.
What is low-key in Malayalam?
Low-key in Malayalam is പ്രാധാന്യം കുറഞ്ഞ, അധികം അറിയപ്പെടാത്ത, നിയന്ത്രിതമായ. See Low-key meaning in Malayalam.
How do you use low-key in a sentence?
[David Blaine's] deceptively low-key, ultracool manner leaves spectators more amazed than if he'd razzle-dazzled.
What part of speech is low-key?
Low-key can be an adjective or an adverb.
How do you pronounce low-key?
Low-key is pronounced /ˌləʊˈkiː/ (UK).

Words near low-key in the dictionary

  1. low-impact
  2. low-income
  3. low-info
  4. low-information
  5. low-IQ
  6. low-key
  7. low-keyed
  8. low-keyness
  9. low-kill shelter
  10. low-level
  11. low-level language

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: low-key (page history and authors); low-key (Olam, E.K. Kurup corpus) (dataset and license); low-key (Kannada 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:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Presurakian-low-key.wav, En-au-low-key.ogg.

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