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Synonyms

staccato

American  
[stuh-kah-toh] / stəˈkɑ toʊ /

adjective

  1. shortened and detached when played or sung.

    staccato notes.

  2. characterized by performance in which the notes are abruptly disconnected.

    a staccato style of playing.

  3. composed of or characterized by abruptly disconnected elements; disjointed.

    rapid-fire, staccato speech.

adverb

  1. in a staccato manner.

noun

plural

staccatos, staccati

  1. performance in a staccato manner.

  2. a staccato passage.

staccato British  
/ stəˈkɑːtəʊ /

adjective

  1. music (of notes) short, clipped, and separate

  2. characterized by short abrupt sounds, as in speech

    a staccato command
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. (esp used as a musical direction) in a staccato manner

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
staccato Cultural  

  1. A direction in music meaning that the notes should be performed in an abrupt, sharp, clear-cut manner.

Discover More

The term staccato has been applied generally to things that occur in rapid bursts, such as gunfire.

Etymology

Origin of staccato

1715–25; < Italian: disconnected, past participle of staccare (derivative of stacca pole < Gothic, but taken as a variant of distaccare to detach )

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.

The book’s 47 staccato chapters jump from one subject to another without much of a discernible pattern.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

“Does the question disturb you?” he continued in a series of staccato questions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

While on tracks like “Harry Stamper” and “Sábanas,” he embraces whimsical synthesizers and staccato vocal patterns to create a mystical soundscape.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

How England survive his staccato approach and educated fingers will go a long way to deciding the series.

From BBC • Jun. 19, 2025

Kilvin growled out a couple words and pounded his fist on the table, each thump as his hand came down was accompanied by a staccato burst of reddish light that welled up from his hand.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

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.