ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Atonic

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /eɪˈtɒnɪk/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Atonic is an adjective meaning (of a sound or syllable) unstressed.

Meaning

(of a sound or syllable) unstressed.

More Meanings

  1. (linguistics) not having tone (pitch)
  2. (pathology) Lacking muscle tone.
  3. (medicine) Characterized by atony, or want of vital energy.
  4. (phonetics, dated) A sound with lack of tone or vocality.

Example Sentences

an atonic disease
Some syllables are distinguished by an absence of tone; they are said to be atonic or to have a neutral tone.

Word Forms

Synonyms for atonic

Depending on context, synonyms include unaccented.

Antonyms for atonic

Common opposites include tonic, accented.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include unaccented, dyspepsia, unstressed, asonant, nontonic, atonal.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.