English · Phrasal verb Attested

tone down

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To relax; to make quieter or less obtrusive; to make milder.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

làm cho yên tĩnh hơn, ít nổi bật hơn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

Ask them to tone down that orange and pink color scheme a bit.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To moderate or relax; to diminish or weaken the striking characteristics of; to soften.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

giảm bớt, làm yếu đi đặc điểm nổi bật

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To make a television program, piece of writing, etc. less offensive and so more suitable for a family audience.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

làm cho ít gây khó chịu, phù hợp hơn với khán giả gia đình

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

What does “tone down” mean?

To relax; to make quieter or less obtrusive; to make milder.

Is “tone down” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.