pentatonic
Americanadjective
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Built on a pentatonic scale, “Summertime” gathers within its modest frame the sound world of black folk tradition.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
Astronomers at the European Southern Observatory created what they call “music of the spheres” for the TOI 178 system by associating a sound on a pentatonic scale to each of the five planets.
From Salon • Feb. 6, 2024
"They comprise, in substance, the use of the first four notes of the minor pentatonic scale combined with the use of octaves and harmonies in a vocal chant," he argued.
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2022
Asked several times about the similarities between the "Oh Why" and "Oh I" hooks, Sheeran repeatedly told the High Court in London: "They're both pentatonic scales and they both use vowels."
From Reuters • Mar. 8, 2022
It is a pentatonic raga, which means that only 5 pitches are used, Sa, Re, Ga, Pa and Dha.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
