rhythmic

[ rith-mik ]

adjective

1. of or relating to rhythm; showing a pattern of repeated sound or movement:

   I could tell by his slow, rhythmic breathing that he had fallen asleep.

2. Music. relating to or emphasizing a regular pattern of strong and weak beats:

   A strong, rhythmic violin accompaniment adds to the energy of the powerful solo voice.

3. characterized by measured or flowing movement, as in dancing:

   Her long-form figure skating routine showcased a graceful, rhythmic body motion, like the rolling waves of the sea.

4. relating to a person’s ability to recognize and produce a beat or pattern of measured movement, as in music or dance:

   He has a strong rhythmic sense, as shown by his complicated drum work on this album.

5. Art, Literature. using or showing the patterned repetition of a motif or formal element in the same or a modified form:

   Ancient storytelling used memory aids such as rhythmic parallel structures and closely related key words.

6. Prosody. relating to or making effective use of poetic meter:

   The quirky and humorous poems in this collection are a mixture of free and rhythmic lines.

7. Theater, Movies. having a measured or patterned effect of movement, tension, and emotion, as created by an alternation between dialogue and description, shorter and longer scenes or sentences, etc.:

   With a masterful knack for rhythmic scene pacing, she explores a series of topics in this trio of short films about growing up.

noun

1. rhythmics ( def ).

rhythmic

/ ˈrɪðmɪk; ˈrɪðmɪkəl; rɪðˈmɪsɪtɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterized by rhythm, as in movement or sound; metrical, periodic, or regularly recurring

Derived Forms

• rhythmicity, noun
• ˈrhythmically, adverb

Other Words From

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of rhythmic¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Late Latin rhythmicus, from Greek rhythmikós; rhythm ( def ), -ic ( def )

Example Sentences

She believed that songs from foreign languages and cultures used interesting rhythmic patterns that children like, and her use of folk melodies and sing-along activity songs aimed to teach children the art of communication through music.

From Los Angeles Times

The Library of Congress, which added “You’ll Sing a Song” to the National Registry in 2007, said the work is important “both for its enduring popularity and as an expression of Jenkins’s hallmark methodology of nurturing children’s musicality through ‘call-and-response rhythmic group singing.’

From Los Angeles Times

U2 frontman Bono wrote: "Where he is this evening... the music will be a little more melodic, a little more interesting harmonically and certainly more rhythmic... and yes, louder."

From BBC

For art, knowledge is embedded in experience — for example, in the discernment of rhythmic patterns and spatial sensation in the undulations of blue, violet, green and neutral tones in Oskar Fischinger’s beautiful “Multi wave” oil painting from 1948.

From Los Angeles Times

Judo; diving; rhythmic, artistic and trampoline gymnastics; fencing; and table tennis are among a dozen that will be clustered in or near downtown Los Angeles, the most transit rich-pocket in Southern California, with multiple rail and bus lines converging.

From Los Angeles Times