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

Despite pentatonic arpeggios that verge on city-pop impressions, the song skirts both the clichés that often come with control and the unraveling that can follow overextension. — Raphael Helfand, Pitchfork, 29 May 2026

Tinariwen, a collection of nomadic Tuareg musicians from Mali and Algeria, is best known for their desert blues style, which feels like an amalgamation of music from North Africa such as pentatonic guitar and rock. — David Harris, SPIN, 18 Mar. 2026

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

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

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pentatonic

• anharmonic
• anionic
• avionic
• catatonic
• cationic
• chorionic
• cosmogonic
• diachronic
• diatonic
• electronic
• embryonic
• excitonic