vibrato

noun

vi·​bra·​to vi-ˈbrä-(ˌ)tō 

vī-

plural vibratos

: a slightly tremulous effect imparted to vocal or instrumental tone for added warmth and expressiveness by slight and rapid variations in pitch

vibratoless

vi-ˈbrä-(ˌ)tō-ləs 

vī-

adjective

Examples of vibrato in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

By 1966, Hendrix and Stone were in San Francisco, fusing progressive politics and psychedelia into playing guitar with shimmering vibratos and staccato-style picking. —Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025

So one of the tricks here was to, number one, get the orchestra to play correctly to the 1939 style of performance, with its particular ways of vibrato and mutes and whatever. —Chris Willman, Variety, 25 June 2025

Perusing both her robust chest voice, raspy falsetto and the full strength of her vibrato, Keable delivers some classic R&B vocal showboating, which the subtle background horns complement perfectly. —Michael Saponara, Billboard, 28 Apr. 2025

Hayden had used vibrato like a pop singer, a no-no, apparently, when doing the classics. —Charlie Mason, TVLine, 10 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from past participle of vibrare to vibrate, from Latin

First Known Use

circa 1876, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for vibrato

• erato
• yamato
• auto
• dato
• motto
• moderato
• pizzicato

Kids Definition

vibrato

noun

vi·​bra·​to vi-ˈbrät-ō 

vī-

plural vibratos

: a slightly trembling effect given to vocal or instrumental tone by slight and rapid variations in pitch