staccato

[ stuh-kah-toh ]

/ stəˈkɑ toʊ /

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See synonyms for staccato on Thesaurus.com

adjective

shortened and detached when played or sung: staccato notes.

characterized by performance in which the notes are abruptly disconnected: a staccato style of playing.Compare legato.

composed of or characterized by abruptly disconnected elements; disjointed: rapid-fire, staccato speech.

adverb

in a staccato manner.

noun, plural stac·ca·tos, stac·ca·ti

[stuh-kah-tee]. /stəˈkɑ ti/.

performance in a staccato manner.

a staccato passage.

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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)

Words nearby staccato

stabler, stabling, stablish, Stabroek, stacc., staccato, staccato mark, staccato speech, Stacey, stachys, Stacia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use staccato in a sentence

I scrolled back to the beginning of the song so I could listen more closely, only now, the staccato ring-ding was materializing in different places.
This new Grouper album, ‘Shade,’ is life-affirming in ways you might not remember|Chris Richards|October 25, 2021|Washington Post
One reason these numbers have been climbing, Grandjean suspects, is the means by which the news is increasingly delivered these days, for instance, in staccato alerts via social media.
Reasons to Be Cheerful (Ep. 417)|Stephen J. Dubner|May 7, 2020|Freakonomics
Cantonese, with its individual characters, also forces rappers to adopt a staccato lyricism.
Why Won’t Hong Kong Get Down With Hip-Hop?|Tim Mak|June 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are racier diaries, too—complete with a minute-by-minute staccato of one sexual fantasy after the next.
The Sex Diaries Project: What 1,500 Bedroom Diaries Can Teach Us About Sex|Jessica Bennett|January 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Then a silence ensued, broken at first by sporadic and staccato remarks, then becoming as dense as the silences of the night.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
There came a staccato series of minor explosions—defiant gesture, thought Beardsley!
We're Friends, Now|Henry Hasse
Safe enough for the time being, said Doctor Fortier, breaking in in quick, staccato tones.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson
The shrill staccato words of the women set the child trembling.
Patchwork|Anna Balmer Myers
She stood still on the sidewalk, exploding into tiny, staccato sentences.
Jane Journeys On|Ruth Comfort Mitchell

British Dictionary definitions for staccato

staccato

/ (stəˈkɑːtəʊ) /

adjective

music (of notes) short, clipped, and separate

characterized by short abrupt sounds, as in speecha staccato command

adverb

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

Word Origin for staccato

C18: from Italian, from staccare to detach, shortened from distaccare

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

Cultural definitions for staccato

staccato

[ (stuh-kah-toh) ]

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

notes for staccato

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

staccato

Origin of staccato

Words nearby staccato

Words related to staccato

How to use staccato in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for staccato

Word Origin for staccato

Cultural definitions for staccato

notes for staccato