as in accompaniment
something that is found along with something else
with the babble of the brook as an obbligato, we enjoyed our picnic
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Recent Examples of obbligato
There is a lovely horn obbligato to Sifare’s Act 3 aria which would be challenging to play on a modern instrument.
—
Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 July 2023
As an obbligato of protest continued behind Wilson, Dylan, accepting Wilson’s advice, sang the insert.
—Mick Stevens, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2021
The long orchestral introduction left no doubt as to where composer Stephenson’s interests lay, the work’s first two movements amounting to symphonic statements with bass trombone obbligato.
—Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 14 June 2019
The aria is enhanced by trumpet and oboe obbligatos, which were handled deftly by trumpeter Steve Marquardt and oboist Debra Nagy.
—Special To The Plain Dealer, cleveland.com, 16 Oct. 2017
Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 July 2023
As an obbligato of protest continued behind Wilson, Dylan, accepting Wilson’s advice, sang the insert.
—Mick Stevens, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2021
The long orchestral introduction left no doubt as to where composer Stephenson’s interests lay, the work’s first two movements amounting to symphonic statements with bass trombone obbligato.
—Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 14 June 2019
The aria is enhanced by trumpet and oboe obbligatos, which were handled deftly by trumpeter Steve Marquardt and oboist Debra Nagy.
—Special To The Plain Dealer, cleveland.com, 16 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obbligato
accompaniment
Noun
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But hoove-adjacent fashions aren’t a contemporary invention in the least, instead originating in 15th-century Japan in the form of split-toe socks, which were a common accompaniment to kimonos.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
26 Jan. 2026
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Its home will be the Ten Hotel Gurnee, where Arden envisions regular performances of a variety of orchestra music, from pops to classical, played with dinner accompaniment.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obbligato.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obbligato. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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