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View synonyms for crescendo

crescendo

[ kri-shen-doh, -sen-doh; Italian kre-shen-daw ]

noun

, plural cre·scen·dos, cre·scen·di [kri-, shen, -dee, -, sen, -dee, k, r, e-, shen, -dee].
  1. Music.
    1. a gradual, steady increase in loudness or force.
    2. a musical passage characterized by such an increase.
    3. the performance of a crescendo passage:

      The crescendo by the violins is too abrupt.

    Antonyms: diminuendo

  2. a steady increase in force or intensity:

    The rain fell in a crescendo on the rooftops.

  3. the climactic point or moment in such an increase; peak:

    The authorities finally took action when public outrage reached a crescendo.



adjective

  1. gradually increasing in force, volume, or loudness ( decrescendo or diminuendo ).

verb (used without object)

  1. to grow in force or loudness.

crescendo

/ krɪˈʃɛndəʊ /

noun

  1. music
    1. a gradual increase in loudness or the musical direction or symbol indicating this crescwritten over the music affected
    2. ( as modifier )

      a crescendo passage

  2. a gradual increase in loudness or intensity

    the rising crescendo of a song

  3. a peak of noise or intensity

    the cheers reached a crescendo

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


verb

  1. intr to increase in loudness or force
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. with a crescendo
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

crescendo

  1. A musical direction used to indicate increasing loudness.


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Notes

The term is sometimes used figuratively to indicate rising intensity in general: “As the days went on, there was a crescendo of angry letters about my speech.” Crescendo is also sometimes misused to indicate a peak of intensity, as in, “The angry letters about my speech hit a crescendo on Wednesday.”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of crescendo1

1770–80; < Italian: literally, growing < Latin crēscendum, gerund of crēscere to grow; crescent
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Word History and Origins

Origin of crescendo1

C18: from Italian, literally: increasing, from crescere to grow, from Latin
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Example Sentences

The heat will begin to manifest itself in abnormally high temperatures Saturday before becoming entrenched Sunday and reaching a crescendo Monday.

Music swells, crescendos, and then it ends — opening the door for something new.

From Vox

Mobile-first has been a priority of Google’s for years as the beat of the user experience drum has grown to a crescendo.

That’s what the researchers were really trying to get at by now, as the study reached its crescendo.

The sermon reaches a singsong crescendo with Huling in an Ozzy Osbourne rock-star crouch screaming into the microphone.

When things reached the ludicrous crescendo of the finale—when neither story made sense—my heart sank.

“It is only loyal to the Iranian leadership,” he concludes with a crescendo.

Global attention and anger about the kidnapping, after a slow start, is now reaching a thunderous crescendo.

The chants grew louder before reaching an eardrum-piercing crescendo when the 2013 Arab Idol glided on stage.

The nearly half-decade movement to repeal and replace the medical device tax reached a crescendo on Tuesday.

The words dropped from her lips in a sibilous 184 crescendo as her blood drove her to a display of emotion.

Now it was plain enough, and began swelling from a purring rattle to the crescendo of an approaching wind storm.

As the drum began to beat the tattoo and the bugle to rise on a crescendo of lovely notes, soldiers swarmed toward the barracks.

The usual cry is a crescendo ku-il, ku-il, ku-il, which to Indian ears is very sweet-sounding.

And it is a mutual crescendo between the 'perfidious Seckendorf' and them; without work done.

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Crescascrescent