ragtime

noun

rag·time | \ ˈrag-ˌtīm

\

Definition of ragtime

1 : rhythm characterized by strong syncopation in the melody with a regularly accented accompaniment in stride-piano style

2 : music having ragtime rhythm

Examples of ragtime in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His ragtime compositions and symphonies are wonderful music. — Tom Keogh, The Seattle Times, "Philharmonia Northwest presents old and new music created entirely by Seattle composers," 14 Nov. 2018 Joplin was forgotten, and ragtime became an obscurity of Americana. — Alex Vadukul, New York Times, "The Forgotten Entertainer Rag," 24 May 2018 The ten-person cast sings well to the accompaniment of an offstage chamber quartet, and Doyle's music evokes Gilded Age Chicago with waltzes and ragtime pieces as well as delicate art songs in the manner of Ned Rorem and Samuel Barber. — Albert Williams, Chicago Reader, "There's no devil in Burnham's Dream: The White City, only music," 14 June 2018 Though the score evokes spirituals, jazz, folk songs, ragtime and Dixieland, the elements of musical theater came through most strongly in this performance, led with brio by Stephen Lord. — New York Times, "A Soldier’s Racially Charged Suicide Becomes a Powerful Opera," 13 June 2018 In 2011, arranger/pianist Scott Bradlee formed Postmodern Jukebox around a simple yet ingenious concept: Perform beloved contemporary songs (Adele, The White Stripes, etc) in the style of vintage genres, such as ragtime and swing. — Scott Bradlee, Billboard, "Scott Bradlee Shares How Postmodern Jukebox Got Him Fired From Walmart: Exclusive 'Outside the Jukebox' Book Excerpt," 7 June 2018 Composer Schachter describes the music as a blend of early-20th-century jazz and ragtime, African-American spirituals, and his own compositional language. — Terry Byrne, BostonGlobe.com, "Paulus’s 10th season to include a revue of ART’s greatest hits," 21 May 2018 What do ragtime and stride piano, two early forms of jazz, have to do with the Cuban rhythm also known as the tango? — Brian Seibert, New York Times, "Review: Tapping Out Some New World Rhythms," 5 Mar. 2018 With acts curated by Subterranean, among the artists gracing the stage across the two-day fest are indie veterans Guided by Voices, local rockers Ratboys and ragtime revivalists Pokey LaFarge. — Efrain Dorado, RedEye Chicago, "5 must-see Chicago concerts this week: JEFF the Brotherhood, Temples, Kopano," 27 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ragtime.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about ragtime

Dictionary Entries near ragtime

ragtag and bobtail

Statistics for ragtime

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for ragtime

The first known use of ragtime was in 1896

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for ragtime

ragtime

noun

English Language Learners Definition of ragtime

: a type of lively music that is often played on the piano and that was very popular in the U.S. in the early part of the 20th century

See the full definition for ragtime in the English Language Learners Dictionary

ragtime

noun

rag·time | \ ˈrag-ˌtīm

\

Kids Definition of ragtime

: music that has a lively melody and a steady rhythm like a march

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

substantive

important, real, or meaningful

Test Your Vocabulary

Homophone Quiz

In order to judge how people felt, the senator's office hired a firm to take a ______.

pole poll
pol poal

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games