Guidelines for RC Tones
| Possible tone | Meaning of the word |
| Acerbic | Harsh/ severe; bitter |
| Aggressive | Forceful; tending towards unprovoked offensiveness |
| Angry/indignant | |
| Apathetic | Emotionless; not interested/ concerned; indifferent; unresponsive |
| Apologetic | Expressing remorse, regret, sorrow for having failed, injured, insulted or wronged another |
| Belligerent | Aggressively hostile; bellicose |
| Biased | Favouring one thing/person/group over another for personal reasons. |
| Caustic | Biting; acerbic |
| Commiserating | Feeling/ expressing sorrow for; empathizing with; pity |
| Condescending | Patronizing; showing/implying patronising descent from dignity/ superiority |
| Contemptuous | Expressing contempt/ disdain |
| Cynical | displaying a belief that people are always self-seeking and never altruistic in their actions |
| Derisive | Unkind and displaying contempt |
| Disparaging | Speak slightingly; depreciating; belittling |
| Dogmatic | Asserting opinions in an arrogant manner; imperious; dictatorial |
| Emotional | Easily affected by feelings actuated by experiencing love, hate, fear and the like |
| Ethical | Dealing with principles of morality; honest; righteous |
| Euphemistic | Substitution of mild, indirect or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh or blunt |
| Grandiose | More complicated/ elaborated than necessary; pompous |
| Humanistic | Evincing keen interest in human affairs, nature, welfare, values |
| Humourous | Funny and amusing |
| Introspective | Consider one's own internal state of feelings |
| Incendiary | Causing strong feelings |
| Laudatory | Praising; extolling; applauding |
| Motivating | Impelling; inciting |
| Obsequious | Fawning; showing servile complaisance; flattering; deferent |
| Pedestrian | Lacking vitality, imagination, distinction |
| Populist | Egalitarian; pertaining to the characteristics of common people/ working class |
| Provocative | Inciting; stimulating; irritating; vexing |
| Romantic | Fanciful; impractical; unrealistic; extravagant; exaggerated |
| Sarcastic | Harsh, bitter derision; taunting; sneering; cutting remarks |
| Satirical | Ironical; taunting; human folly held up to scorn/ derision/ ridicule |
| Speculative | Theoretical rather than practical; thoughtful; reflective; hypothetical |
| Technical | Using terminology or treating subject matter in a manner peculiar to a particular field, as a writer or a book |
| Vitriolic | Full of anger and hatred |
| Vituperative | Cruel and angry criticism |
