keynote

1 of 2

noun

key·​note ˈkē-ˌnōt 

1

: the fundamental or central fact, idea, or mood

sadness is the keynote of this little collection

—Books Abroad

One keynote of his mind has been his interest in deceit, his perceptions about the use of flimflam in modern life …

—Stanley Kauffmann

2

music : the first and harmonically fundamental tone of a scale

3

: keynote address

Following Tuesday morning's keynote, sessions progress through all areas.

—Jim Rosenberg

Sprinting from workshops to motivational keynotes featuring famous faces and wannabes, I came away inspired and armed with information …

—Peggy Klaus

keynote

2 of 2

verb

keynoted; keynoting; keynotes

transitive verb

1

: to deliver the keynote address at

2

: to set the keynote of

keynoter noun

Synonyms

Noun

• bottom line
• bull's-eye
• centerpiece
• core
• crux
• essence
• gist
• heart
• kernel
• meat
• meat and potatoes
• net
• nub
• nubbin
• nucleus
• pith
• pivot
• point
• root
• sum

Examples of keynote in a Sentence

Noun

Humor is the keynote of the play.

the need for a greater sense of self-reliance is the keynote of his self-help message

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

According to Asana's 2024 State of Workplace Innovation report and data shared in Asana keynote speeches, that exact scenario is playing out in businesses worldwide. —Lindsay Kohler, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024

Related Stories The inaugural edition features a keynote presentation by Business of Fashion president, Nick Blunden, on their State of Fashion 2025 report, created in partnership with McKinsey & Co. —Sj Studio, Sourcing Journal, 5 Nov. 2024

Verb

Brian has authored nine award-winning books, published more than 60 industry research reports covering the future of business, digital transformation, and corporate innovation, and keynotes conferences globally. —Brian Solis, Harvard Business Review, 27 Nov. 2024

Shapiro will keynote The Global Streaming Strategies Summit including FAST and AVoD, while presenting the second chapter of new research on British multi-screen viewing data as part of his ongoing collaboration with ratings agency BARB. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1877, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing keynote

• keynote address
• keynote speaker

Kids Definition

keynote

1 of 2 noun

key·​note ˈkē-ˌnōt 

1

: the first and harmonically fundamental tone of a scale

2

: the fundamental or central fact, idea, or mood

humor is the keynote of the play

keynote

2 of 2 verb

1

: to set the keynote of

2

: to give the keynote address at

keynoted the convention

keynoter noun