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.

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adverb

1. in a staccato manner.

noun

staccatos, plural staccati plural

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

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adverb

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

staccato Cultural  

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

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Discover More

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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• staccati
  plural
• staccatos
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

staccato staccati staccatos

It is Sunday, 19 November 1989 and the catchy staccato theme tune of ESPN's SportsCenter plays out on American television.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026

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

From inside he heard steps, staccato female steps across the hall.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

At one point, while moving around the space, she emits a series of staccati on one note — “Ha, ha, ha” and then “He, he, he.”

From New York Times ● Jun. 24, 2013

She sang her high F, managed chromatics and staccati with incredible ease.

From Time Magazine Archive

Wieniawski, I have read, could only play his staccati at a high rate of speed.

From Violin Mastery Talks with Master Violinists and Teachers by Martens, Frederick Herman

He lent tenderness to the staccatos of the second and imbued its dizzying runs with painterly depth.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 17, 2022

Armed with a set of spoons, he battered them against every available surface — from his knees, teeth and cheeks to pillars, sidewalks and banisters — scooping rhythmic staccatos out of thin air.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 28, 2021

Heard on an archival recording, the piece’s crucial staccatos are imprecisely pronounced, and the finale is shockingly subdued.

From New York Times ● Apr. 16, 2021

As some stand-up is moving toward a more flowing, storytelling state, it’s nice to have the bold staccatos of sketch in the mix, too.

From New York Times ● Oct. 31, 2019

A perfect bird-throat warble of trills and fluttering staccatos follows this memory of the lark.

From Stars of the Opera by Wagnalls, Mabel

Related Words

• litany
• recurrence
• reiteration
• repeat
• rhythm