low-key

== English == === Alternative forms === lowkey, low key, lowk, LWK, lwk === Etymology === From low +‎ key. === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /ˈləʊki/, /ˌləʊˈkiː/ (US) IPA(key): /ˈloʊˈki/, /ˌloʊˈki/, (occasionally) /ˈloʊki/ Homophone: Loki (in some pronunciations) Rhymes: -əʊki === Adjective === low-key (comparative more low-key, superlative most low-key) (art, photography) Dark; characterized by dark tones and muted colors. [from 19th c.] Antonym: high-key Coordinate term: mid-key (figuratively, by extension) Restrained, subtle, not trying to attract attention. [from 20th c.] Antonyms: see Thesaurus:gaudy ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Adverb === low-key (comparative more low-key, superlative most low-key) (chiefly Canada, US, originally African-American Vernacular, colloquial) Used as a downtoner; kind of. Coordinate term: high-key (colloquial, African-American Vernacular, meiosis) Actually; seriously. (slang, African-American Vernacular) In a low-key or surreptitious manner; secretively; understatedly; on the down-low. Synonym: furtively ==== Usage notes ==== As a downtoner, low-key is sometimes paired with another downtoner, as in I low-key kind of need help. ==== See also ==== a little literally === Further reading === low-key lighting on Wikipedia.Wikipedia “low-key”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present. “low-key”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. “low-key”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present. “low-key”, in Collins English Dictionary, 2011–present. === Anagrams === wokely