Tonic or tonic water is a colourless fizzy drink that has a slightly bitter flavour and is often mixed with alcoholic drinks, especially gin.
Keeler sipped at his gin and tonic.
...low-calorie tonics.
A glass of tonic can be referred to as a tonic or a tonic water.
I'll just have a tonic water.
2. variable noun
A tonic is a medicine that makes you feel stronger, healthier, and less tired.
Britons are spending twice as much on health tonics as they were five years ago.
Ginseng is generally known for its tonic properties.
Synonyms: stimulant, boost, bracer [informal], refresher More Synonyms of tonic
3. countable noun [oft adjective NOUN]
A tonic is anything that makes you feel stronger, more cheerful, or more enthusiastic.
Seeing Marcus at that moment was a great tonic.
His generous offer was a tremendous tonic for our morale.
[Also + for]
4. mass noun
Skin tonic or hair tonic is a liquid that you put on your skin or hair in order to improve it.
5. countable noun
The tonic of a musical scale is its first note.
[technical]
tonic in British English
(ˈtɒnɪk)
noun
1.
a medicinal preparation intended to improve and strengthen the functioning of the body or increase the feeling of wellbeing
2.
anything that enlivens or strengthens
his speech was a tonic to the audience
3. Also called: tonic water
a mineral water, usually carbonated and containing quinine and often mixed with gin or other alcoholic drinks
4. music
a.
the first degree of a major or minor scale and the tonal centre of a piece composed in a particular key
b.
a key or chord based on this
5.
a stressed syllable in a word
adjective
6.
serving to enliven and invigorate
a tonic wine
7.
of or relating to a tone or tones
8. music
of or relating to the first degree of a major or minor scale
9.
of or denoting the general effect of colour and light and shade in a picture
10. physiology
of, relating to, characterized by, or affecting normal muscular or bodily tone
a tonic spasm
11.
of or relating to stress or the main stress in a word
12.
denoting a tone language
Derived forms
tonically (ˈtonically)
adverb
Word origin
C17: from New Latin tonicus, from Greek tonikos concerning tone, from tonostone
tonic in American English
(ˈtɑnɪk)
adjective
1.
of, producing, or tending to produce good muscular tone, or tension
2.
mentally or morally invigorating; stimulating
3.
having to do with tones
; specif.,
a. Music
designating or based on the first tone (keynote) of a diatonic scale
a tonic chord
b. Painting
having to do with the tone or tones of a picture
c. Phonetics; Rare
designating or of sounds characterized by resonance in the head cavities; also, accented
4. Medicine and Physiology
of or characterized by tone, or tonus
noun
5.
anything that invigorates or stimulates
; specif.,
a.
a drug, medicine, or other agent for restoring or increasing body tone
b.
a hair or scalp dressing
6.
a.
a carbonated beverage flavored with a little quinine and served in a mixed drink with gin, vodka, etc.; quinine water
b. Chiefly Northeast
soda pop
7. Music
the first, or basic, tone of a diatonic scale; keynote
8. Phonetics; Rare
a tonic sound or syllable
Derived forms
tonically (ˈtonically)
adverb
Word origin
Gr tonikos < tonos: see tone
tonic in the Pharmaceutical Industry
(tɒnɪk)
Word forms: (regular plural) tonics
noun
(Pharmaceutical: Dosage forms)
A tonic is a medicine that makes you feel stronger, healthier, and less tired.
Substances that restore and strengthen the nervous system are called nerve tonics.
The extract acts as a tonic to restore energy and increase strength.
A tonic is a medicine that makes you feel stronger, healthier, and less tired.
Examples of 'tonic' in a sentence
tonic
That became the gin and tonic we recognise.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
So does a stiff gin and tonic.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Care for some ice in your gin and tonic, foreign secretary?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It's a lot cheaper than multiple rounds of gin and tonic in the pub and a taxi home.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Why, pray, do we need a lip balm flavoured with gin and tonic?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Over a large gin and tonic, he veers between amused bafflement at all the fuss and genuine hurt that he has been cast as a monster.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
On that day his Majesty drank as a tonic a glass of strong white wine and two small glasses of champagne, and smoked his usual cigar.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You generally feel in need of a good tonic.
Ingham, Christine Life Without Work (1994)
It is also a wonderful tonic for hair if you have recently been very ill.
Guyton, Anita The Natural Beauty Book - cruelty-free cosmetics to make at home (1991)
She was comforted by a stiff gin and tonic.
Aldiss, Brian Somewhere East of Life (1994)
It is also a general tonic for the heart.
Chaitow, Leon Body Odour (1994)
Why a gin and tonic is particularly good at helping you unwind.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
It can be used as a hair tonic.
Christianity Today (2000)
Or the fizz of ice cubes being dropped into a freshly made gin and tonic.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
But it is an important win for me and it is a good tonic.
The Sun (2011)
Indeed, its scepticism remains as great a tonic as its tremendous wit and energy.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Over lunch, he liked a gin and tonic and some wine.
Leo McKinstry Sir Alf: A Major Reappraisal of the Life and Times of England's Greatest FootballManager (2006)
He was such fun - a great tonic to us all.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
When combined with other ingredients, mace makes a fine hair tonic.
Guyton, Anita The Natural Beauty Book - cruelty-free cosmetics to make at home (1991)
He drank gin and tonic, or wine.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
I have to pretend my tonic has vodka in it to make them feel comfortable.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
I drink gin or vodka and slimline tonic instead of wine.
The Sun (2013)
I have been under the weather and this was a great tonic.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
I hear the fizz of tonic in my gin beckoning.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
On the left is a vodka and tonic, in the centre red wine and on the right lager.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The parity in tennis offers a tonic to that grim statistic, a rare shaft of sunlight in a judgmental world.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
When mixed together, they provide a good all-round complexion tonic.
Guyton, Anita The Natural Beauty Book - cruelty-free cosmetics to make at home (1991)
A hair tonic and conditioner.
The Sun (2014)
But after a sticky patch this first win of the year is the perfect tonic to keep them in the hunt at the top of the Championship.
The Sun (2013)
This is different from the tonic effect of tiny amounts of ocean ozone in sea breezes in early summer in the UK.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
WITH our endless winter dragging on, a spa weekend seemed the perfect tonic for my pale, aching body.
The Sun (2013)
Word lists with
tonic
Soft drinks
In other languages
tonic
British English: tonic /ˈtɒnɪk/ NOUN
Tonic or tonic water is a colourless, fizzy drink that has a slightly bitter flavour.
...a delicious new blend of fruit juice and tonic.
American English: tonic
Arabic: مِيَاهٌ غَازِيَّة
Brazilian Portuguese: tônico
Chinese: 奎宁水
Croatian: tonik
Czech: tonik
Danish: tonic
Dutch: tonic
European Spanish: tónica
Finnish: vahvistava lääke
French: tonique
German: Tonikum
Greek: τονωτικό
Italian: tonico
Japanese: 強壮剤
Korean: 강장제
Norwegian: styrkemiddel
Polish: tonik
European Portuguese: tónico
Romanian: tonic
Russian: тоник
Latin American Spanish: tónico
Swedish: stärkande medel
Thai: น้ำโทนิค
Turkish: tonik
Ukrainian: тонік
Vietnamese: thuốc bổ
All related terms of 'tonic'
tonic water
a medicinal preparation intended to improve and strengthen the functioning of the body or increase the feeling of wellbeing
tonic wine
a wine, usually fortified , generally consumed for its supposed invigorating effects
Indian tonic
a medicinal preparation intended to improve and strengthen the functioning of the body or increase the feeling of wellbeing
tonic accent
emphasis imparted to a note by virtue of its having a higher pitch , rather than greater stress or long duration relative to other notes
tonic sol-fa
a method of teaching music, esp singing , used mainly in Britain, by which the syllables of a movable system of solmization are used as names for the notes of the major scale in any key . In this system sol is usually replaced by so as the name of the fifth degree
Indian tonic water
a medicinal preparation intended to improve and strengthen the functioning of the body or increase the feeling of wellbeing
quinine water
→ tonic (sense 6 ) tonic (sense 6a )
pitch accent
(in languages such as Ancient Greek or modern Swedish ) an accent in which emphatic syllables are pronounced on a higher musical pitch relative to other syllables
Chinese translation of 'tonic'
tonic
(ˈtɔnɪk)
n
(u) (also tonic water) 奎宁(寧)水 (kuíníngshuǐ)
(c/u) (Med) 滋补(補)品 (zībǔpǐn)
(c) (fig, = boost) 有兴(興)奋(奮)作用的东(東)西 (yǒu xīngfèn zuòyòng de dōngxi)
(noun)
Definition
anything that enlivens or strengthens
We are spending twice as much on health tonics as five years ago.
Synonyms
stimulant
the use of a banned stimulant
boost
bracer (informal)
refresher
cordial
pick-me-up (informal)
When you need a pick-me-up, try peppermint oil.
fillip
shot in the arm (informal)
restorative
livener
analeptic
roborant
Additional synonyms
in the sense of pick-me-up
Definition
a tonic, esp. a special drink taken as a stimulant