Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun overtone

2 senses of overtone

Sense 1
overtone -- ((usually plural) an ulterior implicit meaning or quality; "overtones of despair")
       => meaning, significance, signification, import -- (the message that is intended or expressed or signified; "what is the meaning of this sentence"; "the significance of a red traffic light"; "the signification of Chinese characters"; "the import of his announcement was ambiguous")

Sense 2
overtone, partial, partial tone -- (a harmonic with a frequency that is a multiple of the fundamental frequency)
       => harmonic -- (a tone that is a component of a complex sound)