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.
But nothing has ever come close to the tension that floods our veins at the sound of that immortal two-note ostinato, the signature of John Williams’ suspenseful score. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2025 The varying pace of the ostinato – a musical motif that repeats itself – elicits intensifying degrees of emotion and fear. Jared Bahir Browsh, The Conversation, 18 June 2025 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 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

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Cite this Entry

“Ostinato.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ostinato. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.

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