What does subito mean?
Subito is an adverb meaning “suddenly” or “abruptly,” most often encountered in musical directions. When placed in a score, it tells performers to change tempo, volume, articulation, or expression immediately rather than gradually. The instruction can stand alone or accompany another marking, as in “subito piano” for an abrupt reduction to soft playing and “subito forte” for an abrupt increase to loud playing. Although the word comes from Italian and retains the language’s musical terminology, English speakers often use it more broadly when describing music: a sudden entrance or dramatic change may be described as occurring subito. In ordinary conversation, suddenly or abruptly is usually more natural. The word is concise and memorable because it conveys both immediacy and surprise, making it especially effective in musical performance and descriptive writing.
adverbSuddenly or abruptly, especially as a direction in music to change the tempo, dynamics, or character of a passage immediately.
- Suddenly or abruptly, typically as a musical instruction to make an immediate change.
"The quiet passage ended with a subito forte that startled the audience."
"The choir entered subito, filling the church with sound."
"The composer marked the final phrase subito, demanding an abrupt increase in volume."
A tiny Italian instruction can transform a musical passage in an instant: subito means 'suddenly!'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does subito come from?
The word comes from Italian, where subito means “suddenly” or “immediately.” Italian inherited it from Latin subito, an adverb formed from subitus, meaning “sudden” or “coming upon unexpectedly.” The same Latin root also underlies English words such as sudden and the less common subitaneous.
How subito is actually used
This is a musical loanword from Italian and is normally used in scores or descriptions of music. It is formal and specialized rather than part of ordinary everyday English.
Easily confused with subito
The headword is the same word as the Italian adverb meaning 'suddenly'; in English it is chiefly used as a musical direction.