legato
1 of 2adverb or adjective
le·ga·to
li-ˈgä-(ˌ)tō 
: in a manner that is smooth and connected (as between successive tones)
—used especially as a direction in music
: a smooth and connected manner of performance (as of music)
also
: a passage of music so performed
Examples of legato in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sam Thielman, The New Yorker, 21 July 2023
Elijah McCormack was a radiant soprano with a smooth legato.
—Dallas News, 2 Apr. 2022
Staccato is syncopation and legato is like a rainbow.
—Alessandro Corona, The Enquirer, 6 July 2022
The velvety legato that Lisiecki lavishes on the C-sharp-minor Nocturne is impossible on Planès’s period instrument, which has a crisper, tangier sound.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2022
Didion was rewarded for her legato, in-depth studies of America’s fraying culture—the opposite of the Twitter hot-takes that elevate today’s cultural observers to dubious star status.
—Lesley M.m. Blume, Town & Country, 5 Jan. 2022
All the pitches are in place, laced together in a luxurious legato.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2021
Horn player Alexander Kienle demonstrated a round tone and attractive legato in his solos, and principal clarinetist Gregory Raden turned in a tenderly lyrical solo.
—Tim Diovanni, Dallas News, 24 Sep. 2021
Soltani’s luscious legato tone in the short, slow introduction to the third movement was capped by an exuberant finale.
—Washington Post, 23 Jan. 2020
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Noun
The book, the story of Seymour, an ambitious would-be filmmaker and a second-rate husband, explores different temporalities, creating a polyphony of the sweeping, legato past and the rhythmic present.
—Sam Thielman, The New Yorker, 21 July 2023
Elijah McCormack was a radiant soprano with a smooth legato.
—Dallas News, 2 Apr. 2022
Staccato is syncopation and legato is like a rainbow.
—Alessandro Corona, The Enquirer, 6 July 2022
The velvety legato that Lisiecki lavishes on the C-sharp-minor Nocturne is impossible on Planès’s period instrument, which has a crisper, tangier sound.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2022
Didion was rewarded for her legato, in-depth studies of America’s fraying culture—the opposite of the Twitter hot-takes that elevate today’s cultural observers to dubious star status.
—Lesley M.m. Blume, Town & Country, 5 Jan. 2022
All the pitches are in place, laced together in a luxurious legato.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2021
Horn player Alexander Kienle demonstrated a round tone and attractive legato in his solos, and principal clarinetist Gregory Raden turned in a tenderly lyrical solo.
—Tim Diovanni, Dallas News, 24 Sep. 2021
Soltani’s luscious legato tone in the short, slow introduction to the third movement was capped by an exuberant finale.
—Washington Post, 23 Jan. 2020
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'legato.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near legato
Cite this Entry
“Legato.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legato. Accessed 27 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
legato
adverb or adjective
le·ga·to
li-ˈgät-ō
: in a manner that is smooth and connected
—used as a direction in music
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