crescendo

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

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

/ 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

1. A musical direction used to indicate increasing loudness.

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.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of crescendo¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of crescendo¹

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

Example Sentences

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff apologized for calling on the National Guard to go to San Francisco after a crescendo of rebukes from the city’s political and tech elite.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Helen Brocklebank, CEO of British luxury sector body Walpole and on the ball's organising committee, said London's social calendar has "always lacked a big crescendo moment... until now".

Read more on Barron's

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff apologized for calling on the National Guard to go to San Francisco after a crescendo of rebukes from the city’s political and tech elite he has counted as friends.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In the book, he writes of "angry crescendos and heavy silences" from his parents' bedroom, which instilled a "constant watchfulness that became instinct before I understood why".

Read more on BBC

Calls for Clarke to go really did hit a crescendo that summer.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• escalation 
• upsurge