percussive
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of percussive
First recorded in 1785–95; percuss(ion) + -ive
Vocabulary lists containing percussive
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.
Caminos played percussive and woodwind instruments as I meditated, moving them from one side of my head to the other.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Festivalgoers were spilling out of the tent to catch a glimpse of their percussive, high energy performance that straddles the line between jazz, funk, reggae and carnival.
From BBC ● May 24, 2026
The percussive score by Joseph Shirley and Moses Sumney underlines this and gives the whole film an eerie, curious atmosphere, lending to a sense of unreality.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
On his own website, Zayn describes konnakol as "the act of creating percussive sounds with one's voice".
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026
The endless percussive symphony makes my brain want to slide out through my ears and run away—and I realize that must be how it happens!
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
