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
  • 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

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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