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crescendo

[ kri-shen-doh, -sen-doh; Italian kre-shen-daw ]
/ krɪˈʃɛn doʊ, -ˈsɛn doʊ; Italian krɛˈʃɛn dɔ /
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See synonyms for crescendo on Thesaurus.com
noun, plural cre·scen·dos, cre·scen·di [kri-shen-dee, -sen-dee; Italian kre-shen-dee]. /krɪˈʃɛn di, -ˈsɛn di; Italian krɛˈʃɛn di/.
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.
a steady increase in force or intensity: The rain fell in a crescendo on the rooftops.
the climactic point or moment in such an increase; peak: The authorities finally took action when public outrage reached a crescendo.
adjective, adverb
gradually increasing in force, volume, or loudness (opposed to decrescendo or diminuendo).
verb (used without object)
to grow in force or loudness.
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Origin of crescendo

1770–80; <Italian: literally, growing <Latin crēscendum, gerund of crēscere to grow; see crescent
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to crescendo

escalation, upsurge, apex, ascension, building, climb, crest, culmination, elevation, intensification, peak, pinnacle, rise, summit, surge, zenith, critical mass

How to use crescendo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for crescendo

crescendo
/ (krɪˈʃɛndəʊ) /
noun plural -dos or -di (-dɪ)
music
  1. a gradual increase in loudness or the musical direction or symbol indicating thisAbbreviation: cresc, (written over the music affected) ≺
  2. (as modifier)a crescendo passage
a gradual increase in loudness or intensitythe rising crescendo of a song
a peak of noise or intensitythe cheers reached a crescendo
verb -does, -doing or -doed
(intr) to increase in loudness or force
adverb
with a crescendo

Word Origin for crescendo

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

Cultural definitions for crescendo

crescendo
[ (kruh-shen-doh) ]

A musical direction used to indicate increasing loudness.

notes for crescendo

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.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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