knowt logo

Terms for describing tone

Tone: The Speaker’s Attitude

POSITIVE TONE WORDS

NEUTRAL

NEGATIVE TONE WORDS

admiring

commanding

abhorring

adoring

direct

acerbic

affectionate

impartial

ambiguous

appreciative

indirect

ambivalent

approving

meditative

angry

bemused

objective

annoyed

benevolent

questioning

antagonistic

blithe

speculative

anxious

calm

unambiguous

apathetic

casual

unconcerned

apprehensive

celebratory

understated

belligerent

cheerful

bewildered

comforting

biting

comic

bitter

compassionate

blunt

complimentary

bossy

conciliatory

cold

confident

conceited

contented

condescending

delightful

confused

earnest

contemptuous

ebullient

curt

ecstatic

cynical

effusive

demanding

empathetic

depressed

encouraging

derisive

euphoric

derogatory

excited

desolate

exhilarated

despairing

expectant

desperate

facetious

detached

fervent

disappointed

flippant

disliking

forthright

disrespectful

friendly

doubtful

funny

embarrassed

gleeful

enraged

gushy

evasive

happy

fatalistic

hilarious

fearful

hopeful

forceful

humorous

foreboding

interested

frantic

introspective

frightened

jovial

frustrated

joyful

furious

laudatory

gloomy

light

grave

lively

greedy

mirthful

grim

modest

harsh

nostalgic

haughty

optimistic

holier-than-thou

passionate

hopeless

placid

hostile

playful

impatient

poignant

incredulous

proud

indifferent

reassuring

indignant

reflective

inflammatory

relaxed

insecure

respectful

insolent

reverent

irreverent

romantic

lethargic

sanguine

melancholy

scholarly

mischievous

self-assured

miserable

sentimental

mocking

serene

mournful

silly

nervous

sprightly

ominous

straightforward

outraged

sympathetic

paranoid

tender

pathetic

tranquil

patronizing

whimsical

pedantic

wistful

pensive

worshipful

pessimistic

zealous

pretentious

psychotic

resigned

reticent

sarcastic

sardonic

scornful

self-deprecating

selfish

serious

severe

sinister

skeptical

solemn

somber

stern

stolid

stressful

strident

suspicious

tense

threatening

tragic

uncertain

uneasy

unfriendly

unsympathetic

upset

violent

wry

CC

Terms for describing tone

Tone: The Speaker’s Attitude

POSITIVE TONE WORDS

NEUTRAL

NEGATIVE TONE WORDS

admiring

commanding

abhorring

adoring

direct

acerbic

affectionate

impartial

ambiguous

appreciative

indirect

ambivalent

approving

meditative

angry

bemused

objective

annoyed

benevolent

questioning

antagonistic

blithe

speculative

anxious

calm

unambiguous

apathetic

casual

unconcerned

apprehensive

celebratory

understated

belligerent

cheerful

bewildered

comforting

biting

comic

bitter

compassionate

blunt

complimentary

bossy

conciliatory

cold

confident

conceited

contented

condescending

delightful

confused

earnest

contemptuous

ebullient

curt

ecstatic

cynical

effusive

demanding

empathetic

depressed

encouraging

derisive

euphoric

derogatory

excited

desolate

exhilarated

despairing

expectant

desperate

facetious

detached

fervent

disappointed

flippant

disliking

forthright

disrespectful

friendly

doubtful

funny

embarrassed

gleeful

enraged

gushy

evasive

happy

fatalistic

hilarious

fearful

hopeful

forceful

humorous

foreboding

interested

frantic

introspective

frightened

jovial

frustrated

joyful

furious

laudatory

gloomy

light

grave

lively

greedy

mirthful

grim

modest

harsh

nostalgic

haughty

optimistic

holier-than-thou

passionate

hopeless

placid

hostile

playful

impatient

poignant

incredulous

proud

indifferent

reassuring

indignant

reflective

inflammatory

relaxed

insecure

respectful

insolent

reverent

irreverent

romantic

lethargic

sanguine

melancholy

scholarly

mischievous

self-assured

miserable

sentimental

mocking

serene

mournful

silly

nervous

sprightly

ominous

straightforward

outraged

sympathetic

paranoid

tender

pathetic

tranquil

patronizing

whimsical

pedantic

wistful

pensive

worshipful

pessimistic

zealous

pretentious

psychotic

resigned

reticent

sarcastic

sardonic

scornful

self-deprecating

selfish

serious

severe

sinister

skeptical

solemn

somber

stern

stolid

stressful

strident

suspicious

tense

threatening

tragic

uncertain

uneasy

unfriendly

unsympathetic

upset

violent

wry

robot