percussive

[ per-kuhs-iv ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterized by percussion.

Other Words From

• per·cussive·ly adverb
• per·cussive·ness noun
• nonper·cussive adjective
• unper·cussive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of percussive¹

First recorded in 1785–95; percuss(ion) + -ive

Example Sentences

After “Dog Eat Dog,” a dreamy yet percussive soft-rock song about “snakebite evangelists and racketeers and bigwig financiers,” Mitchell said she wished she could vote in the upcoming presidential election.

From Los Angeles Times

Originating in southern Mexico, this upright bass is all about the slap — a raw, percussive sound created when the string hits the fretboard.

From Los Angeles Times

But every night, no matter the circumstances, the percussive sounds of rumba filled her childhood home.

From Los Angeles Times

He twists the accents of Spanish words, breaking down syllables to generate witty percussive effects.

From Los Angeles Times

But after he warns, “Don’t tell no lie about me/And I won’t tell truths about you,” the track changes to a tolling, droning trap dirge and Lamar’s delivery becomes biting, nasal and percussive.

From New York Times

Related Words

• aghast
• appalled
• astonished
• dismayed
• frightened