One of the mysteries of the English language finally explained.
Synonyms of tone in English:
tone
See definition of tone
noun
1‘bassoons add considerably to the tone of the tuba’
timbre, sound, sound quality, voice, voice quality, colour, tone colour, tonality, resonance, ring
2‘‘So there you are!’ he called in a friendly tone’
intonation, tone of voice, mode of expression, expression, inflection, pitch, modulation, accentuation
3‘the somewhat impatient tone of his letter’
mood, quality, feel, style, note, air, attitude, character, spirit, flavour, grain, temper, humour, effect
tenor, vein, drift, gist
4‘the dialling tone’
note, beep, bleep, meep, whine, buzz, warble, burr, signal
5‘old-fashioned tones of primrose, lavender, and rose’
tint, shade, colour, hue, tinge, cast, tincture
verb
1‘the rich orange colour of the wood tones beautifully with the yellow roses’
harmonize, go, go well, blend, fit, coordinate, team, accord
match, suit, complement
Phrases
1‘he has had to tone down his gaudy garments to get them into department stores’
subdue, make less garish, soften, lighten, dim, mute
2‘the newspapers refused to tone down their criticism of the government’
moderate, modify, modulate, mitigate, temper, dampen, soften, lighten
subdue, restrain, stifle, bridle, bottle up, contain
qualify
keep the lid on