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

After his keynote, Serafin explained to me that, up until now, the Qualtrics platform has been used to create powerful insights and diagnose problems, helping companies listen to their customers, understand what actions to take, and know which direction to go in the market. —Adrian Swinscoe, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Janet Yang delivered a bilingual keynote speech that underscored film’s power as a universal language. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 Apr. 2025

Verb

Le Goy will join Tubi CEO Anjali Sud, who is also keynoting the event, which takes place at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada between June 8-11. —Peter White, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2025

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

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

Rhymes for keynote

• afloat
• azote
• banknote
• bareboat
• benzoate
• connote
• cutthroat
• demote
• denote
• devote
• endnote
• footnote

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