sotto voce
adverb or adjective
sot·to vo·ce
| \ ˌsä-tō-ˈvō-chē
\
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Definition of sotto voce
1
: under the breath : in an undertone
also
: in a private manner
2
: very softly
—used as a direction in music
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Examples of sotto voce in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Then Ansari dials down his loud and nasal drawl to sotto voce. — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, "The Productive Ambivalence of Aziz Ansari in His Comeback Netflix Special," 13 July 2019 His vibratoless, nasal-toned, sotto voce croon floated with seeming detachment above his guitar. — Matt Schudel, Washington Post, "João Gilberto, a quiet and leading voice of Brazil’s bossa nova music, dies at 88," 6 July 2019 Openly cooperating with Israel without resolving the future of Jerusalem and its Islamic holy sites surely would provoke opposition from religious Saudis, though only sotto voce given the crown prince’s severe repression of domestic opponents. — Karen Elliott House, WSJ, "Will Netanyahu Go to Riyadh?," 6 Jan. 2019 When Londoners look to up their complexion game, one name is traded back and forth, sotto voce: Teresa Tarmey, the facialist behind the lit-from-within glows of Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Naomie Harris, and a gaggle of It Brits too numerous to name. — Zoe Ruffner, Vogue, "London’s Favorite Celebrity Facialist Opens a New Skin-Care Studio in Tribeca," 24 Aug. 2018 Who among us hasn’t fallen asleep to Jim Nantz’s soothing sotto voce during Masters weekend? — Jason Gay, WSJ, "Will You Pay to Watch Tiger and Phil?," 23 Aug. 2018 But this will also be a contrast in demeanors: Halep’s loud grunts and emotional expressiveness with Stephens’s sotto voce on-court zenitude. — Christopher Clarey, New York Times, "Can Simona Halep Finally Make Her Major Breakthrough?," 7 June 2018 The reason for McCarthy’s withdrawal remains the source of much sotto voce speculation. — Philip Elliott, Time, "Republicans Brace for a Brutal House Leadership Race," 1 June 2018 When asking you to put your phone away, the gentleman should have gone sotto voce. — Amy Dickinson, chicagotribune.com, "Family wedding could revive feuds," 5 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sotto voce.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for sotto voce
sotto voce
adverb
English Language Learners Definition of sotto voce
formal
: in a very quiet voice
music
: very softly
See the full definition for sotto voce in the English Language Learners Dictionary