From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishintonationin‧to‧na‧tion /ˌɪntəˈneɪʃən/ noun 1 [countable, uncountable]SL the way in which the level of your voice changes in order to add meaning to what you are saying, for example by going up at the end of a question intonation patterns2 [uncountable]ALRR technical the playing or singing of correct musical notes
Examples from the Corpus
intonation• They speak courteously, but in a strangely mechanical way, with a flat intonation.• As usual in intonation work in this book, punctuation is left out, since it can cause confusion.• The technique of back chaining may be referred to in the teaching of intonation.• And with a faintly questioning intonation that fitzAlan would have to be deaf to miss.• For example Practice the intonation of the model exchange.• This synthesizer is by far the best I have heard because it varies the intonation and doesn't speak like a Dalek.• There is more dicey woodwind intonation in the Eroica, and the oboe tone in the Funeral March curdles alarmingly. 