What does intone mean?
To intone is to speak or recite words in a deep, measured, and often solemn manner. The verb is especially associated with prayers, formal declarations, warnings, and ceremonial language, where the deliberate vocal delivery carries significance beyond the words themselves. Intone also has a musical quality: it can suggest controlled pitch, resonance, and cadence, as though the voice is delivering language with instrumental precision. In ordinary conversation, saying that someone intoned a statement often emphasizes gravity, authority, or ritual solemnity. The word belongs mainly to formal and literary English, but it remains useful in descriptions of speech whose manner is as important as its content. Its connection with music and voice makes it especially effective for conveying a sense of ceremony, reverence, command, or emotional intensity.
verbTo speak or recite words in a deep, deliberate, often solemn tone.
- To speak or recite in a deep, deliberate, often solemn tone.
"The priest intoned the blessing in a measured, resonant voice."
"The minister intoned the verses while the congregation listened in silence."
"She intoned the warning with an authority that silenced everyone in the room."
Intone turns speech into a musical instrument, using pitch, pace, and solemn cadence to make words feel ceremonial.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does intone come from?
Intone entered English in the early 17th century from Medieval Latin intonare. The Latin word combined the prefix in- with tonare, meaning “to thunder,” and was related to tonus and ultimately Greek tonos, denoting tone or pitch. The verb originally conveyed the idea of sounding or thundering, before developing its modern sense of reciting in a deep, measured voice.
Related word forms
How intone is actually used
Literary, formal, or ceremonial in tone. It suggests deliberate, dignified delivery rather than ordinary conversation and is often used when describing prayers, declarations, warnings, or solemn speech.