How to Use low-key in a Sentence

low-key

1 of 2 adjective
  • Carti shot his parts in a car and on the street, keeping it very low-key.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
  • And anyone choosing to surf can get a low-key bite at Drifter’s just next to the pool.
    Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 13 Dec. 2023
  • My spot at the bar made the night even sweeter — low-key and fun with a pretty view of the city out the window.
    Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 6 May 2024
  • There are also a few bedtime tales in the mix that are more low-key to help kids wind down for the night.
    Jeana Lee Tahnk, Parents, 4 Feb. 2024
  • Jeff Kravitz But don't worry—Mendes did come to cheer Gosling on, just in a more low-key way.
    Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 10 Mar. 2024
  • Opt for a luxe, glitzy resort or book a stay in a low-key alpine village?
    Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 1 Nov. 2023
  • During the spring, the Toreros played in four low-key tournaments where no one kept track of points.
    Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 June 2023
  • For low-key kids Shake things up a bit with this riff on a game everyone knows well.
    Leigh-Ann Jackson, wsj.com, 5 Dec. 2023
  • Tie-dye makes an excellent and low-key DIY project for kids.
    Nicole Harris, Parents, 25 Aug. 2023
  • But the announcements, while low-key, proceeded as though a show will go on in the fall.
    Andrew Dalton, BostonGlobe.com, 12 July 2023
  • As for the fashion crowd’s favorite shoe for low-key polish?
    Laura Jackson, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2023
  • Ahead, check out some of the best fashion deals (albeit low-key) for Amazon Prime Day 2023.
    Sarah Han, Allure, 12 July 2023
  • Its soft sand strip is dotted with low-key restaurants, cafes and the high-key Nobu Hotel.
    Chloe Sachdev, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2024
  • At the time, their plans included a low-key beach wedding and a big party.
    Kara Nesvig, Peoplemag, 28 Dec. 2023
  • For the first time, the iPhone 15 edition of the case is available in five low-key colors (Midnight, Mustard, etc.).
    Nick Guy, wsj.com, 21 Sep. 2023
  • As for the rest of the face, McGrath opted for touches of low-key luxury.
    Georgia Day, Vogue, 24 Jan. 2024
  • The campaign was a low-key one, with the point of the charter mainly coming down to local control.
    Alexandra Hardle, The Arizona Republic, 12 Mar. 2024
  • There’s stealth in Garrone’s approach: for the most part, the story sticks to a low-key, rough-hewn verisimilitude.
    Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024
  • The night was supposed to be low-key, but my friend and I met some folks there who invited us to join them at Bond, the nightclub.
    Brenda Barrientos, refinery29.com, 28 Sep. 2023
  • The high-low look was the perfect meld of Italian glamour and low-key American style.
    Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 22 Mar. 2024
  • Megan Fox is giving a peek behind all her glam — and showing off her most low-key look yet.
    Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024
  • Willie Jack has the most low-key day of them all, palling around with Fixico, the old man who hawks his folk medicine outside the clinic.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2023
  • All in all, a low-key way to pass the day, a gentle frame for the eventual injections of high drama.
    Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 20 July 2023
  • Guns, taxes, and Chevron made for a significant but low-key start to this Supreme Court term.
    Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Jan. 2024
  • The quieter songs The CMAs are a great place to show off the smoke machines, but some artists showcase low-key songs with a guitar and little else.
    Emily Yahr, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023
  • Right now there are low-key deals to be found on high-quality items like Le Creuset cookware, Kiehl’s skin care, and more.
    Malia Griggs, SELF, 15 Apr. 2024
  • No—my goal all along has been to keep the party low-key, with some cake, pizza, and kids splashing around in our backyard pool.
    Melissa Willets, Parents, 20 June 2023
  • The pair are famously low-key, preferring long walks through the hills and small dinners with friends to the scene-ier aspects of LA.
    Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2023
  • But there’s plenty of low-key heat as well, waiting to kick your taste buds upon request.
    Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 9 May 2024
  • No, but all the staff members are exceptionally warm, attentive, and at the same time, pretty low-key.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 7 May 2024
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low-key

2 of 2 adverb
  • This timeless black version is stylish in a low-key type of way.
    Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 28 Feb. 2023
  • Your parents might have been more low-key than your cousins’ parents.
    Amy Dickinson, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Feb. 2023
  • In the years since, the low-key pair have only publicly stepped out together a handful of times.
    Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2023
  • Their low-key wedding speaks to how the couple deals with the public in general.
    Hannah Malach, ELLE, 1 Mar. 2023
  • Both Cancún and Los Cabos run the gamut, from high-octane parties to low-key events with live music.
    Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2023
  • Gomez's low-key day on the boat comes after days (years, really) of online drama with Hailey Bieber.
    Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 3 Mar. 2023
  • The response from Southeast Asia has been similarly low-key.
    Megan Lebowitz, NBC News, 17 Feb. 2023
  • Eugene Levy and Deborah Divine are one of Hollywood's most low-key and long-lasting couples.
    Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2023
  • The area is filled with low-key rocky promontories and natural beaches, centuries-old castles, Michelin-star restaurants, five-star hotels, see-and-be-seen clubs, palaces and vineyards.
    Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2023
  • In an appropriately low-key way, Linklater’s ending has resonated over the years.
    Bruce Handy, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2023
  • Read full article The news was met with an outpouring of sadness from fans of the establishment, a Cambridge staple known for its low-key vibe, sweet outdoor patio, and live music line-ups.
    Hayley Kaufman, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Mar. 2023
  • But Tudor seems a bit too sincere and low-key for a formidable magazine editor.
    Charles McNultytheater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2023
  • Expected initially to be a low-key affair, the campaign took on the intensity of a modern, more divisive campaign.
    Gary D. Robertson, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Feb. 2023
  • Scott announced himself as a TV star back then playing bitter irrelevance with low-key romantic charm.
    Darren Franich, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2023
  • Nowadays, there are countless brands that specialize in designing low-key baubles that will stand the test of time, but sifting through site after site can understandably be overwhelming.
    Sophie Dweck, Town & Country, 22 Mar. 2023
  • Simple menswear suits were the nicest in what was ultimately a low-key show, with long sashes from the silken undergarments fluttering elegantly behind like a train.
    Thomas Adamson, ajc, 1 Mar. 2023
  • Residents and visitors enjoy the friendly, low-key atmosphere and a variety of events held in every season.
    Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2023
  • And any psychological support should be relatively low-key and supportive rather than trying to label illnesses and treat them at this point in time.
    Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 17 Feb. 2023
  • Smith’s documentary pulsates with this kind of low-key humor and editorial wit.
    Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2023
  • Against a sea of black blazers, these low-key colorful, cozy knits read as unconcerned, comfort-driven and evidencing a mature man fully in control of his aesthetic.
    Leah Dolan, CNN, 3 Mar. 2023
  • Silk is soft with moderate wicking and lower durability and is OK for low-key activities such as gardening.
    Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2023
  • Together, the two cities are an under-the-radar, low-key region of the south boasting the same white sugar-sand beaches and spectacular outdoor space as the Florida panhandle — with significantly fewer crowds.
    Molly O'Brien, Travel + Leisure, 19 Feb. 2023
  • From that queasiness comes bristly tension, tautening and deepening what otherwise seems a low-key, low-stakes character study, and eventually a sweet, conciliatory sliver of hope too.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 18 Feb. 2023
  • However, despite suggestions that events may be more low-key than in 1953, the Palace recently announced a three-day weekend of events including pageantry, musical performances, street parties, drone displays and illuminations.
    Victoria Murphy, Town & Country, 18 Feb. 2023
  • Family dysfunction is common enough fodder for intimate indie dramas, but it’s seldom centered this low-key lovingly amid an American Indian family.
    Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 24 Mar. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'low-key.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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