1
: the fundamental or central fact, idea, or mood
sadness is the keynote of this little collection—
Books Abroad
Books AbroadOne keynote of his mind has been his interest in deceit, his perceptions about the use of flimflam in modern life …—Stanley Kauffmann
Stanley Kauffmann2
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
Jim RosenbergSprinting from workshops to motivational keynotes featuring famous faces and wannabes, I came away inspired and armed with information …—Peggy Klaus
Peggy Klaus
keynoted; keynoting; keynotes
keynoter
noun
Synonyms
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
Brian Welk, IndieWire, 21 Nov. 2024
Her keynote slide captured one of the most arresting numbers of the day: that 2028 number implies a CAGR above 60% over a six-year period.
—Patrick Moorhead, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2024
Paramount’s Dan Cohen To Keynote MIPCOM Paramount Global Chief Licensing Officer Dan Cohen will keynote MIPCOM Cannes in October.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for keynote 
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Noun
Some of the topics in keynote discussions will come from major cinematographers, talent agencies, and other sessions on using the latest tech, advances in animation, film scoring, and navigating music rights.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 21 Nov. 2024
Her keynote slide captured one of the most arresting numbers of the day: that 2028 number implies a CAGR above 60% over a six-year period.
—Patrick Moorhead, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Verb
Trump has received more than $4 million in virtual tokens, an FEC filing shows, and in July, the ex-president keynoted a major bitcoin conference in Nashville, Tennessee.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2024
Paramount’s Dan Cohen To Keynote MIPCOM Paramount Global Chief Licensing Officer Dan Cohen will keynote MIPCOM Cannes in October.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for keynote
Dictionary Entries Near keynote
Cite this Entry
“Keynote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keynote. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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 verb1
: to set the keynote of
2
: to give the keynote address at
keynoted the convention
keynoter
noun
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