grace note

noun

, Music.

1. a note not essential to the harmony or melody, added as an embellishment, especially an appoggiatura.

grace note

noun

1. music a note printed in small type to indicate that it is melodically and harmonically nonessential

Word History and Origins

Origin of grace note¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

In a riskier but effective grace note, interspersed throughout are poetic, home-movie-fashioned interludes, scenes of the girls at play that suggest missed experiences.

From Los Angeles Times

Winslet was adding grace notes to scenes of herself in “The Regime,” a dark satire created by Will Tracy, a writer and producer on “Succession,” that began airing on Max in early March.

From New York Times

The tenderness flickering in Driver’s eyes is one of several grace notes in a performance that, being delivered entirely in Italian-accented English, could have been forgiven for having no grace notes at all.

From Los Angeles Times

While “One More Time” does not add anything new to the subgenre, it is an excellent example of it, and hits surprising grace notes.

From New York Times

“How to Break” abandons showing for telling long before it hits the end of its nearly two-hour, no-intermission run time, but the design’s visual ambiguity is a welcome grace note.

From Seattle Times