tony

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˈtəʊ.ni/, US /ˈtoʊ.ni/^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English tone + -y,^[2][3][4] its sense influenced by ton “fashionable society”.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

“Of a high tone, affecting social elegance, swell”: 1877, American slang.^[2][5][6]

Semantic evolution

The Shorter Oxford marks it colloquial, originally American.^[3] In the 1920s, from 1921, tony was also the name of a reddish-brown fashion colour.^[2][5]

Timeline

• 1877 – stylish.^[2][5]
• 1921 – a fashion colour.^[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. (informal) Expensive, luxurious or exclusive; stylish: a tony neighbourhood.

Related words

• tone
• ton
• high-toned

Usage notes

Capitalized, a Tony is one of the awards given each year since 1947 by the American Theatre Wing for achievement in the theatre, named from the nickname of the actress and producer Antoinette Perry.^[2][4][5] An older slang Tony, a fool, from the pet form of Anthony, is recorded from 1654, and a verb “to fool, cheat” from before 1652.^[5][3]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster