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 )

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

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

An England regular when Stokes and McCullum took charge in the summer of 2022, the 27-year-old has had a staccato career over the past three years.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 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

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

They are usually longer than staccato but shorter than legato.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Related Words

• litany
• recurrence
• reiteration
• repeat
• rhythm