rhythmically

[ rith-mik-lee ]

adverb

1. with uniform or patterned repetition, as of a beat or a particular movement or sound:

   One student always taps his pencil rhythmically as he studies, saying it helps him think.

2. Music. in a way that relates to or emphasizes a regular pattern of strong and weak beats:

   This part of the piece is rhythmically and harmonically quite simple, with phrases of unsurprising length and uninterrupted flow.

3. with measured or flowing movement, as in dancing:

   Tall reeds edging the road were waving rhythmically back and forth with the wind.

4. Art, Literature. with or by means of the patterned repetition of a motif or formal element in the same or a modified form:

   In Cézanne’s Large Bathers, I like the patterned arrangement of rhythmically leaning trees and the figures gathered under their triangular canopy.

5. Prosody. in a way that relates to or makes effective use of poetic meter:

   His poems are among the most vivid and rhythmically alluring in the English language.

6. Theater, Movies. in a way that alternates between dialogue and description, shorter and longer scenes or sentences, etc., in order to create a measured or patterned effect of movement, tension, and emotion:

   The war correspondent’s story flows rhythmically and sensually from one conflict to another.

Other Words From

• hy·per·rhyth·mi·cal·ly adverb
• non·rhyth·mi·cal·ly adverb
• sem·i·rhyth·mi·cal·ly adverb
• un·rhyth·mi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of rhythmically¹

First recorded in 1680–90; rhythmical ( def ) + -ly ( def )

Example Sentences

Johnston then joined other rioters in rhythmically pushing against police in the tunnel, a collective effort that crushed an officer against a door frame, prosecutors said.

From Los Angeles Times

None were as memorable as Snoop’s outstanding reaction to the equestrian competition known as dressage, with its horses dancing rhythmically to music.

From Salon

These feathery needles rhythmically dance back and forth on sweeping branches in gentle breezes.

From Seattle Times

“Orfeo,” with its poised 18th-century passion, could hardly be more different than the rhythmically angular modern choral writing in John Adams’s “El Niño,” which had had its dress rehearsal that morning.

From New York Times

Thought emerges and is controlled in the brain via the rhythmically and spatially coordinated activity of millions of neurons, scientists argue in a new article.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• always
• constantly
• continually
• daily
• exactly
• incessantly
• normally
• periodically
• steadily
• typically