adagio

1 of 2

adverb or adjective

ada·​gio ə-ˈdä-j(ē-ˌ)ō 

ä-, 

-zh(ē-ˌ)ō

: at a slow tempo

—used chiefly as a direction in music

adagio

2 of 2

noun

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

Examples of adagio in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb or adjective

Next comes adagio work, or slower sustained movements and balances, without the aid of a barre. —New York Times, 25 Mar. 2020

But in the sublime, time-stopping Poco adagio, the gentle purr of the organ beneath the orchestra sounds one-dimensional. —Barbara Jepson, WSJ, 31 Dec. 2018

Noun

Bach’s Mass in B Minor begins with a majestic howl of pain—four adagio bars that combine formal grandeur with writhing interior lines, as if figures in a cathedral frieze of the Last Judgment were coming to life. —Alex Ross, New Yorker, 23 June 2025

Two-thirds of the way through, a piano in adagio gave way to a blossoming string orchestra. —Literary Hub, 6 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adverb or adjective

borrowed from Italian, from the phrase ad agio, literally, "at ease," from ad, a "to, at" (going back to Latin ad) + agio "ease, convenience," borrowed from Old French aise, eise — more at at entry 1, ease entry 1

Noun

borrowed from Italian, derivative of adagio adagio entry 1

First Known Use

Adverb Or Adjective

1680, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1683, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for adagio

• afterglow
• akimbo
• albino
• aliquot
• allegro
• amigo
• apropos
• audio
• bungalow
• calico
• calypso
• cameo

Kids Definition

adagio

1 of 2 adverb or adjective

ada·​gio ə-ˈdäj-ō 

-ˈdäj-ē-ˌō, 

-ˈdäzh-

: in an easy graceful manner : slowly

—used as a direction in music

adagio

2 of 2 noun

1

: a musical composition or movement in adagio tempo

2

: a ballet duet or trio displaying difficult feats of balance, lifting, or spinning