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

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

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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.

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

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

There was a kind of rhythm, a fast staccato he could get.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2025

The band emerged in a flicker of static and staccato strings, accompanied by a lone saxophone, before breaking into Happiness.

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2025

I could imagine her tramping through the rooms, perhaps paying sixpence for admission, ripping the quietude with her sharp, staccato laugh.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Related Words

• litany
• recurrence
• reiteration
• repeat
• rhythm