ostinato

noun

osti·​na·​to ˌä-stə-ˈnä-(ˌ)tō How to pronounce ostinato (audio)
ˌȯ-
plural ostinatos also ostinati ˌä-stə-ˈnä-tē How to pronounce ostinato (audio)
ˌȯ-
: a musical figure repeated persistently at the same pitch throughout a composition compare imitation, sequence

Examples of ostinato in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The slashing up-and-down motto of the first movement had the rough finish of a Bartók ostinato. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024 Still, the implacably sorrowing three-note ostinato of the symphony’s second movement hints at Ukrainian suffering not only under Nazi occupation but also under Soviet rule, and that implicit defiance is all the more evident when the Kyiv Symphony plays the piece today. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2024 An interlude of golden horns introduced the concerto’s bracing finish, a little ostinato passed between the percussion and the strings, a triumphant theme mounting across the brass, a heroic rumble of timpani. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2024 Although there are sonic glimpses of Britell’s signature ostinato here, they’re too often drowned out by choirs that are meant to be heavenly but just sound pretentious and grandiose. Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 1 May 2023 See all Example Sentences for ostinato 

Word History

Etymology

Italian, obstinate, from Latin obstinatus

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ostinato was in 1928

Dictionary Entries Near ostinato

Cite this Entry

“Ostinato.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ostinato. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on ostinato

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!