adagio
adverb or adjective
ada·gio
| \ É-ËdĂ€-j(Ä-Ë)Ć
, Ă€-, -zh(Ä-Ë)Ć\
, Ă€-, -zh(Ä-Ë)Ć\
Definition of adagio
(Entry 1 of 2)
: at a slow tempo
—used chiefly as a direction in music
adagio
noun
plural adagios
Definition of adagio (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: a musical composition or movement in adagio tempo
2
: a ballet duet by a man and woman or a mixed trio displaying difficult feats of balance, lifting, or spinning
Examples of adagio in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb or adjective
But in the sublime, time-stopping Poco adagio, the gentle purr of the organ beneath the orchestra sounds one-dimensional. — Barbara Jepson, WSJ, "Uncertain Tempo," 31 Dec. 2018 And extreme contrasts - the fourth movement has rapidly, repeatedly alternating speeds, adagio to presto - were narrowed, giving little shock. — Alan Artner, chicagotribune.com, "In the heat, Moser, Grant Park Orchestra perform a delicate Dvorak," 30 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
In Perlmanâs hands, the adagio movement spoke with unmistakable melodic clarity and moments of intimacy and stillness not easily achieved in an outdoor setting. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, "Classical reviews: Perlmanâs triumph at Ravinia; Grant Parkâs disappointing finale," 18 Aug. 2019 At each stage of classâthe barre exercises, the serene adagio movements, and allegro jumps from petit to grandeâthereâs a code, a recipe, literal steps to doing things well. — Matt Ortile, SELF, "Whenever My Life Feels Out of Control, I Go to Ballet Class," 16 Aug. 2018 Everything built to the sublime adagio whose slow unfolding was superbly controlled and brought beautiful playing from the CSO string choir, even if the hallâs parched acoustics bleached the sound of resonance. — John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Review: Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the CSO in an eloquent Mahler Ninth Symphony," 18 May 2018 The slow opening movement, the upbeat and lively second and third movements, and then the sinking into an adagio, a slow repose. — Chicago Tribune, chicagotribune.com, "Algren Award runner-up: "Fluid Mechanics" by Mabel Yu," 2 June 2018 This should be a great showcase, not just for their athleticism but for their strength in adagio. — Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Chronicle, "Choreographer Justin Peck brings his old and his new works to SF Ballet," 15 Jan. 2018 Beethoven's dramatic gestures registered without rhetorical excess, the adagio was a rapt dialogue between the piano and woodwinds, and the finale danced with rhythmic playfulness. — John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Ravinia's John Adams 70th birthday bash gets strong liftoff from CSO, Nagano," 26 July 2017 Thereâs actually a story about the music for The Nutcracker adagio, which would seem to belie its emotional powerâthat it was composed on a bet. — Leilah Bernstein, Los Angeles Magazine, "These âLostâ Ballets Are Being Performed for the First Time in L.A.," 16 June 2017 In one sequence, which goes on as long as a Mahler adagio, Ronnieâs genitals get trapped in the slats of a sun bed. — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, "âBaywatchâ and âLetters from Baghdadâ," 5 June 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'adagio.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for adagio
adagio
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of adagio (Entry 2 of 2)
: a piece of music that is played or performed slowly and gracefully
See the full definition for adagio in the English Language Learners Dictionary