contrabass

1 of 2

noun

con·tra·bass ˈkän-trə-ˌbās

: double bass

contrabassist

ˈkän-trə-ˌbā-sist

noun

contrabass

2 of 2

adjective

: pitched lower than a bass instrument of the same type

a contrabass clarinet

Examples of contrabass in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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Noun

The Hutchins Consort features an ensemble of eight violins ranging in size from an 18.5-inch treble to a 7.2-foot contrabass. —Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 May 2024

The award-winning symphonic band of more than 75 area musicians welcomes renowned saxophone soloist Rob Verdi, whose performance will feature his unique collection of instruments, including a sopranino sax, contrabass sax and an original 1880 sax from Adolphe Sax, the instrument’s creator. —Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2024 Digital flutes, contrabass flutes, bamboo flutes, Mayan flutes. —Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023 In 2021, López, who’s about six years younger than the others (who are all either 26 or 27), joined the troupe on the tololoche (a kind of Mexican contrabass). —Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 27 June 2023 Part of this involved the work of a contrabass player, recording very low bass treatments. —Carolyn Giardina, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Mar. 2023 The orchestration was dense but not overcrowded, and the sonic palette gave it an otherworldly quality that was sometimes dreamlike, sometimes nightmarish — here the hollow sound of a cimbalom and a hushed ripple of winds, there the infernal bleat of a contrabass trombone. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2022 It was scored for contrabass, and contrasted vigorous open string strums with ethereal harmonics played all the way below the fingerboard. —Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2023 At the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, a standing ovation for Tijuana composer Andrés Martín and conductor Ankush Kumar Bahl Consider the contrabass, a loyal servant in the orchestra. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian contrabbasso, from contra- + basso bass

First Known Use

Noun

1761, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1834, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of contrabass was in 1761

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Contrabass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contrabass. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

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contrabass

noun

adjective

Examples of contrabass in a Sentence

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contrabass

noun

adjective

Examples of contrabass in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on contrabass

More from Merriam-Webster

Can you solve 4 words at once?

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13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words

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