staccato
Americanadjective
-
shortened and detached when played or sung.
staccato notes.
-
characterized by performance in which the notes are abruptly disconnected.
a staccato style of playing.
-
composed of or characterized by abruptly disconnected elements; disjointed.
rapid-fire, staccato speech.
adverb
noun
plural
staccatos, staccati-
performance in a staccato manner.
-
a staccato passage.
adjective
-
music (of notes) short, clipped, and separate
-
characterized by short abrupt sounds, as in speech
a staccato command
adverb
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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 )
Explanation
Staccato is a musical term for notes that are played quickly and sharply. It can also refer to anything characterized by similar beats, such as the staccato clacking of a woman's high heels on a tile floor. There is nothing quite so pleasant as lying in bed on a Saturday morning listening to the staccato tapping of rain on the roof, knowing that everything you had planned will now be canceled. Other staccato sounds are not so pleasant — like your neighbor learning to play the drums or a jack hammer blaring right outside your window.
Vocabulary lists containing staccato
Number the Stars
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The Kite Runner
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Music - Introductory
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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.
But the bigger issue is the production’s staccato rhythm.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026
“Does the question disturb you?” he continued in a series of staccato questions.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
He tried to convince the American people of his strength and relevance through the sheer force of his voice and his staccato delivery.
From Salon • Dec. 19, 2025
The progression of the façades from warm rose to pink-cream to mauve-green is knit together by the blues and sienna of the windows, anchored by the staccato pink and green water below.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 11, 2025
And she would summon the waiter to her side, her voice sharp and staccato, cutting the air like a saw.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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.
