ostinato

noun

osti·​na·​to ˌä-stə-ˈnä-(ˌ)tō 

ˌȯ-

plural ostinatos also ostinati ˌä-stə-ˈnä-tē 

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

The score drips with a sinister ostinato as the rats scurry into every corner of her castle. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 July 2026

Before the fretting reaches a head, one of Barbieri’s backing oscillators creeps forward into a nimble major-key ostinato that sounds like it was lifted from a Lorenzo Senni daydream, transforming a slight shift in timbre and time signature into a crescendo of new hope. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 2 Mar. 2026

But when the first ostinato returned and began to fade, the end was clearly near. — Lisa Hirsch, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Feb. 2026

Relentless ostinato figures underscored Nosferatu’s voyage by boat. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian, obstinate, from Latin obstinatus

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ostinato

• adagio
• altiplano
• arapaho
• arapahoe
• fortissimo
• manifesto
• minangkabau
• oregano
• pistachio
• politico
• portfolio
• presidio