"low key" meaning in English

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "low-key"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "low-keyed"
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "?"
      },
      "expansion": "low key",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "41 17 42",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A restrained or subdued situation."
      ],
      "id": "en-low_key-en-noun-QgxgotHT",
      "links": [
        [
          "restrain",
          "restrain"
        ],
        [
          "subdue",
          "subdue"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Photography",
          "orig": "en:Photography",
          "parents": [
            "Art",
            "Human activity",
            "Media",
            "Culture",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Communication",
            "Society",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "41 17 42",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A dark area of a photograph with little contrast."
      ],
      "id": "en-low_key-en-noun-OhBr9JKc",
      "links": [
        [
          "photography",
          "photography"
        ],
        [
          "photograph",
          "photograph"
        ],
        [
          "contrast",
          "contrast"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(photography) A dark area of a photograph with little contrast."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "arts",
        "hobbies",
        "lifestyle",
        "photography"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "low key"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more low key",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most low key",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "low key (comparative more low key, superlative most low key)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "low-key"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "41 17 42",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2019 February 5, Maria Yagoda, “Why Do So Many Adult Men Keep Their Mattresses On The Floor?”, in Vice",
          "text": "“When I started sleeping on the floor, I thought, ‘Whatever, it’s a mattress, I’ll be fine, I did it when I was a teen,’ but eventually, it actually became a real problem that was low key fucking my life,” Smith told me.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021 September 6, Zack Handlen, “Rick And Morty ends its fifth season looking for an escape hatch”, in AV Club",
          "text": "In terms of the overall story of the finale, it’s smart how much emphasis the episode puts on the juice in the portal gun, as that’s going to be a major factor in “Rickmurai Jack;” the portal gun is low key the most important invention in Rick’s arsenal, and the episode does a good job of underlining that without belaboring the point.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative spelling of low-key"
      ],
      "id": "en-low_key-en-adv-Mj2r1oqk",
      "links": [
        [
          "low-key",
          "low-key#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) Alternative spelling of low-key"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "informal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "low key"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adverbs",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English nouns with unknown or uncertain plurals"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "low-key"
    },
    {
      "word": "low-keyed"
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "?"
      },
      "expansion": "low key",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A restrained or subdued situation."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "restrain",
          "restrain"
        ],
        [
          "subdue",
          "subdue"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Photography"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A dark area of a photograph with little contrast."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "photography",
          "photography"
        ],
        [
          "photograph",
          "photograph"
        ],
        [
          "contrast",
          "contrast"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(photography) A dark area of a photograph with little contrast."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "arts",
        "hobbies",
        "lifestyle",
        "photography"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "low key"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adverbs",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English nouns with unknown or uncertain plurals"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more low key",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most low key",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "low key (comparative more low key, superlative most low key)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "low-key"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English informal terms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2019 February 5, Maria Yagoda, “Why Do So Many Adult Men Keep Their Mattresses On The Floor?”, in Vice",
          "text": "“When I started sleeping on the floor, I thought, ‘Whatever, it’s a mattress, I’ll be fine, I did it when I was a teen,’ but eventually, it actually became a real problem that was low key fucking my life,” Smith told me.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021 September 6, Zack Handlen, “Rick And Morty ends its fifth season looking for an escape hatch”, in AV Club",
          "text": "In terms of the overall story of the finale, it’s smart how much emphasis the episode puts on the juice in the portal gun, as that’s going to be a major factor in “Rickmurai Jack;” the portal gun is low key the most important invention in Rick’s arsenal, and the episode does a good job of underlining that without belaboring the point.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative spelling of low-key"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "low-key",
          "low-key#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) Alternative spelling of low-key"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "informal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "low key"
}