pianissimo
Americanadjective
adverb
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pianissimo
1715–25; < Italian, superlative of piano piano 2
Explanation
When a musician performs something pianissimo, she plays very softly. If you're playing a pianissimo piece on the piano, your fingers will be gentle on the keys. You can use this word as an adverb or an adjective — in either case, it's a specific musical direction regarding the dynamics (or loudness) of a piece of music. On sheet music, pianissimo is often marked pp, to distinguish it from piano, which is simply "soft," rather than "very soft," and is usually marked with one p. There is, in fact, an even quieter designation called pianississimo, that's "very very soft."
Vocabulary lists containing pianissimo
Music - Middle School
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Music - High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
See Examples For:
I told them, ‘Is there a way we can find space for rubato, pianissimo, glissando — all of that — so we can really play in the music?’
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2025
Then in that first sort of chorus, where it’s quieter, more pianissimo, “I’m defying gravity. I think it’s time to defy gravity,” she’s not quite sure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2024
Schiff, as in his touch at a keyboard, relished the extremes of Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony — the opening truly pianissimo, the forzando notes truly explosive.
From New York Times ● Apr. 16, 2023
Ms. Freni had the ability to project even the softest pianissimo passages across a stage.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 9, 2020
He was still singing—“Not much money, Oh! but honey”—fixing his cufflinks, parting his hair; but then he looked up and saw his sister—“Ain’t we got”—and pianissimo now—“fun”—fell silent.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Her “limpid trills and transparent pianissimos in all registers are models of the bel canto approach to coloratura singing,” Frederick M. Winship, a critic for United Press International, wrote in 1989.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 19, 2021
This score provides a good acoustical test, its dynamic range running from celestial pianissimos to apocalyptic thunder.
From The New Yorker ● May 15, 2017
The sound was rich and luxurious, comfortably bearing the full weight of fortissimos and detailing pianissimos right down to the vanishing point.
From New York Times ● May 29, 2016
Throughout the evening, she may have gotten a little carried away making sudden shifts between dramatic outpouring and floating pianissimos, a tic becoming a predictable shtick.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2014
The music of this scene is grandly sustained by the orchestra, but the ensemble is difficult and requires much rehearsing, for it abounds in surprising fortes and pianissimos.
From Stars of the Opera by Wagnalls, Mabel
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.
