crescendo

American  

[kri-shen-doh, -sen-doh, kre-shen-daw] / krɪˈʃɛn doʊ, -ˈsɛn doʊ, krɛˈʃɛn dɔ /

noun

plural

crescendos, crescendi

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.

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adjective

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

verb (used without object)

1. to grow in force or loudness.

crescendo British  

/ krɪˈʃɛndəʊ /

noun

1. music

   1.  cresc.  a gradual increase in loudness or the musical direction or symbol indicating this

   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

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verb

1. (intr) to increase in loudness or force

adverb

1. with a crescendo

crescendo Cultural  

1. A musical direction used to indicate increasing loudness.

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Discover More

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.”

Etymology

Origin of crescendo

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

Explanation

In a crescendo, the music is getting louder. There's often a crescendo in a large group of talking people, too. This word comes from classical music, where it's very important how loudly the instruments play. If a tuba is crescendoing at the wrong time, then a quiet piano part might not be heard at all. The crescendo is important in all kinds of music, because volume — how loud something is — is one of the main features of music. If you are whispering and gradually raise your voice and then end up shouting, that's a crescendo as well.

Example Sentences

As his deceit becomes apparent, the music shifts from crisp hip-hop beats to a hard-boiled film noir crescendo.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

The troubles reached a crescendo during the live finale when a distraught Tran revealed that the man she had chosen as her husband-to-be, Devin Strader, had ended their engagement a month before the broadcast.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

That could mean investors are in for more pain ahead, as major selloffs typically reach their crescendo as the volatility gauge peaks.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

In the last room, a crescendo of monumental full portraits, the atmosphere is symphonic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

And there they sat for a precious few minutes, Papa and his two youngest children, while the rest of the family awoke and the sounds of the city began its crescendo all around them.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

Related Words

• escalation
• upsurge