rhythm
noun · verb
Simple meaning
The variation of strong and weak elements of sounds, notably in speech or music, over time.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
rithuhmSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹɪðəm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The variation of strong and weak elements (such as duration, accent) of sounds, notably in speech or music, over time; a beat or meter.
A specifically defined pattern of such variation.
The tempo or speed of a beat, song or repetitive event.
The musical instruments which provide rhythm (mainly; not or less melody) in a musical ensemble.
A flow, repetition or regularity.
Controlled repetition of a phrase, incident or other element as a stylistic figure in literature and other narrative arts; the effect it creates.
verb
transitive
To impart a (particular) rhythm to.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The variation of strong and weak elements (such as duration, accent) of sounds, notably in speech or music, over time; a beat or meter.
Used this way, rhythm is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a musical use: it is everyday language among musicians and listeners, and specialised outside that.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Music/performance
- Arts writing
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use rhythm
- “The piece has a fast rhythm.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Recurring with measured regularity.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The section of a band or orchestra that plays percussion instruments.
Natural family planning in which ovulation is assumed to occur 14 days before the onset of a period (the fertile period would be assumed to extend from day 10 through day 18 of her cycle).
Natural family planning in which ovulation is assumed to occur 14 days before the onset of a period (the fertile period would be assumed to extend from day 10 through day 18 of her cycle).
A performer (and sometimes composer) of rhythm and blues music.
A combination of blues and jazz that was developed in the United States by Black musicians.
The rhythm of a beating heart.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A drug used to treat an abnormal heart rhythm.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.