pentatonic
adjective
pen·ta·ton·ic
ˌpen-tə-ˈtä-nik 
: consisting of five tones
specifically
: being or relating to a scale in which the tones are arranged like a major scale with the fourth and seventh tones omitted
Examples of pentatonic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Traditional Ethiopian music also uses pentatonic scales: Specifically, a set of four five-note modes with wide intervals (called qeñet) between the notes form the music’s basic foundation.
—
Michael J. West, Washington Post, 18 June 2024
The tubes are professionally tuned to a pentatonic C major scale which results in deep, rich chime rings.
—Nor'adila Hepburn, Southern Living, 17 Apr. 2024
Tuned to the pentatonic scale of C, this wind chime offers a rich and deep tone with every breeze.
—Kate McGregor, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Mar. 2023
West did employ the pentatonic scale, fundamental to Chinese music, and engaged the UK Chinese Ensemble for authentic sounds: the stringed erhu and pipa, the xiao and dizi flutes, the hammered-dulcimer-like yangqin and the zither-like guzheng.
—Jon Burlingame, Variety, 8 Sep. 2021
Tuned to the pentatonic C scale, this wind chime offers a timeless sound incorporating all of the major chords.
—Kate McGregor, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Mar. 2023
More than a decade after forming, Pentatonix — a play on the pentatonic scale — became the first a cappella group to win a Grammy for arrangement with a sublime medley of Daft Punk songs in 2015.
—Michele Amabile Angermiller, Variety, 20 Feb. 2023
Notes appear on the screen in a colorblocked wheel that can be customized for pentatonic or heptatonic scales.
—Dominique Soguel, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Jan. 2022
The pentatonic melodies and syncopated rhythms found within are some of the African influences that made the symphony a novel hybrid for its time.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2022
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Michael J. West, Washington Post, 18 June 2024
The tubes are professionally tuned to a pentatonic C major scale which results in deep, rich chime rings.
—Nor'adila Hepburn, Southern Living, 17 Apr. 2024
Tuned to the pentatonic scale of C, this wind chime offers a rich and deep tone with every breeze.
—Kate McGregor, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Mar. 2023
West did employ the pentatonic scale, fundamental to Chinese music, and engaged the UK Chinese Ensemble for authentic sounds: the stringed erhu and pipa, the xiao and dizi flutes, the hammered-dulcimer-like yangqin and the zither-like guzheng.
—Jon Burlingame, Variety, 8 Sep. 2021
Tuned to the pentatonic C scale, this wind chime offers a timeless sound incorporating all of the major chords.
—Kate McGregor, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Mar. 2023
More than a decade after forming, Pentatonix — a play on the pentatonic scale — became the first a cappella group to win a Grammy for arrangement with a sublime medley of Daft Punk songs in 2015.
—Michele Amabile Angermiller, Variety, 20 Feb. 2023
Notes appear on the screen in a colorblocked wheel that can be customized for pentatonic or heptatonic scales.
—Dominique Soguel, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Jan. 2022
The pentatonic melodies and syncopated rhythms found within are some of the African influences that made the symphony a novel hybrid for its time.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Pentatonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pentatonic. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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