different between zoneless vs toneless

English

zone +? -less

zoneless (not comparable)

Without zones; unzoned.
- 1983, Robert Pollock, Soccer for Juniors, New York: Scribner, “Tactics,” p. 109,^[1]
  In this style of defense he is the one zoneless player, being able to cross into either of the zones as he is needed.
- 1988, Aniko Varpalotai, “Ringette: The Sport for Girls,” Orbit, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Volume 19, No. 3, October 1988, p. 10,^[2]
  […] ringette players are agitating for zoneless play which would make the game faster and more demanding.
(literary, archaic) Without a belt or girdle.
- 1749, William Mason, Isis: An Elegy, London: R. Dodsley, p. 7,^[3]
  Clos’d was her eye, and from her heaving breast
  In careless folds loose flow’d her zoneless vest;
- 1785, William Cowper, The Task, London: J. Johnson, Book 3, p. 94,^[4]
  Thou art not known where pleasure is adored,
  That reeling goddess with the zoneless waist
  And wand’ring eyes, still leaning on the arm
  Of novelty, her fickle frail support;
(biology) Lacking bands or rings (particularly with reference to fungi).

tone +? -less

toneless (comparative more toneless, superlative most toneless)

Lacking tone or expression.
- 1928, Radclyffe Hall, The Well of Loneliness, Garden City, NY: Blue Ribbon Books, Book 1, Chapter 7, Section 2, p. 71^[1]
  And sure enough she had settled down at once, so that in less than two months it seemed to Stephen that Miss Puddleton must always have been at Morton, must always have been sitting at the large walnut table, must always have been saying in that dry, toneless voice with the Oxford accent: ‘You’ve forgotten something, Stephen,’ […]
- 1941, Emily Carr, Klee Wyck, Chapter 4,^[2]
  The Cumshewa totem poles were dark and colourless, the wood toneless from pouring rain.
Lacking vitality; listless.
(linguistics) Lacking tone or pitch, have the neutral tone.

Send