Meaning & use
Espressivo
Last updated
A musical direction meaning "with expression," instructing a performer to play a passage with feeling and emotional nuance.
See it in a sentence
The score marks the second movement espressivo, calling for a warm, singing tone.
She played the melody espressivo, lingering on each phrase.
A note on using this word
Borrowed directly from Italian, like many musical performance directions such as "legato" and "forte."
Words with a similar meaning
expressively
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Espressivo”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.