Definition of adagio
: at a slow tempo
—used chiefly as a direction in music
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Definition of adagio
plural adagios
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
Recent Examples of adagio from the Web
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The slow opening movement, the upbeat and lively second and third movements, and then the sinking into an adagio, a slow repose.
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This should be a great showcase, not just for their athleticism but for their strength in adagio.
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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.
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There’s actually a story about the music for The Nutcracker adagio, which would seem to belie its emotional power—that it was composed on a bet.
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In one sequence, which goes on as long as a Mahler adagio, Ronnie’s genitals get trapped in the slats of a sun bed.
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Anodyne outer movements enclosed a sluggish adagio where glimmers of Lupu's Beethoven style at its best shone through — warmly rounded tone, supple phrasing and, above all, sensitive attention to the soft end of the dynamic spectrum.
These 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.
Origin and Etymology of adagio
borrowed from Italian, derivative of adagio 1adagio
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: 1683
in the meaning defined at sense 1
See Words from the same yearADAGIO Defined for English Language Learners
adagio
Definition of adagio for English Language Learners
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: a piece of music that is played or performed slowly and gracefully
Learn More about adagio
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Spanish Central: Translation of adagio
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