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.

---

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

---

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.

---

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

Example Sentences

On the album closer, Strength In Me, she repeats the line "I know I'm gonna survive this" over and over as the music swells in a thrilling crescendo.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 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

"The main difficulty is respecting the score's crescendo and keeping your energy and strength intact until the big leaps, when your legs start to burn," he said.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

Data for the survey was collected largely before geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Europe reached a crescendo over U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 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