per·cus·sive
pər-ˈkə-siv 
1
: of or relating to percussion
especially
: operative or operated by striking
2
: having powerful impact
percussively
adverb
percussiveness
noun
per·cus·sive·ness
-sivnə̇s,
-sēv- also -səv-
plural -es
: the quality or state of being percussive
to his harpsichord style he carries over a pianistic percussiveness—
Saturday Review
Saturday ReviewExamples of percussive in a Sentence
Adjective
The song had a punchy, percussive rhythm.
Recent Examples on the Web
Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 19 June 2026
Playing percussive pizzicato as often as the traditional bow, Reid gives her long, rhythmic compositions plenty of spin, pop, and sizzle, focusing on syncopated action over textural brooding.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 1 June 2026
The percussive score by Joseph Shirley and Moses Sumney underlines this, and gives the whole film an eerie, curious atmosphere, lending to a sense of nightmarish unreality.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 15 May 2026
Walking into the Broadhust Theatre, the first sound that hits you is the percussive clacking of the hand fans.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for percussive
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Adjective
The Dirty Beaches founder’s own saxophone and trumpet lead the players’ cut-and-pasted recordings down dark alleys of decay and introspection, backdropped by percussive bangs and scrapes that suggest the construction of some great, mysterious superstructure.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 19 June 2026
Playing percussive pizzicato as often as the traditional bow, Reid gives her long, rhythmic compositions plenty of spin, pop, and sizzle, focusing on syncopated action over textural brooding.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 1 June 2026
The percussive score by Joseph Shirley and Moses Sumney underlines this, and gives the whole film an eerie, curious atmosphere, lending to a sense of nightmarish unreality.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 15 May 2026
Walking into the Broadhust Theatre, the first sound that hits you is the percussive clacking of the hand fans.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for percussive
Cite this Entry
“Percussive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/percussive. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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