1
: rhythm characterized by strong syncopation in the melody with a regularly accented accompaniment in stride-piano style
2
: music having ragtime rhythm
Examples of ragtime in a Sentence
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It was first pieced together in New Orleans by the cornetist King Buddy Bolden, who was born the year Reconstruction ended, and who drew on both the Blues traditions of Black evangelical churches and the ragtime of French-speaking Creole Black musicians.
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Elizabeth Alexander, Time, 1 Apr. 2025
There’s not enough of what makes the region’s music shine: ragtime, blues, Cajun and Creole, and Jon Batiste-style funk.
—Harold Goldberg, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Its sound is a melting pot of musical influences, incorporating remnants of ragtime, blues, and African rhythms, among others.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 10 Mar. 2025
Two of Beethoven’s most philosophical, probing sonatas frame a suite of jazz, ragtime, and popular song — from Joplin to Nina Simone … Charles Ives didn’t just want to mix popular and classical music.
—Jane Levere, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
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Elizabeth Alexander, Time, 1 Apr. 2025
There’s not enough of what makes the region’s music shine: ragtime, blues, Cajun and Creole, and Jon Batiste-style funk.
—Harold Goldberg, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Its sound is a melting pot of musical influences, incorporating remnants of ragtime, blues, and African rhythms, among others.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 10 Mar. 2025
Two of Beethoven’s most philosophical, probing sonatas frame a suite of jazz, ragtime, and popular song — from Joplin to Nina Simone … Charles Ives didn’t just want to mix popular and classical music.
—Jane Levere, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ragtime
Cite this Entry
“Ragtime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ragtime. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ragtime
noun
rag·time
ˈrag-ˌtīm 
1
: music played with a strong march-style rhythm and a lively melody with accented notes falling on beats that are not usually accented
2
: music having ragtime rhythm
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