Word.ws English Dictionary

lowkey

lowkey is the alternative spelling of low-key.

Meaning of low-key

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.

See all 5 meanings of low-key

Forms of lowkey

Adjective
comparativemore lowkey
superlativemost lowkey
Adverb
comparativemore lowkey
superlativemost lowkey

Questions about lowkey

What is lowkey the alternative spelling of?
Lowkey is the alternative spelling of low-key.

Words near lowkey in the dictionary

  1. lowings
  2. lowish
  3. lowk
  4. lowke
  5. lowkenuinely
  6. lowkey
  7. lowkirk
  8. lowkirkenuinely
  9. lowkirkuinely
  10. lowland
  11. lowland paca

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: lowkey (page history and authors); low-key (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.

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