decrescendo

[dee-kri-shen-doh, dey-, de-kre-shen-daw]

adjective

1. gradually reducing force or loudness; diminuendo (crescendo ).

noun

plural

decrescendos ,

plural

decrescendi .

1. a gradual reduction in force or loudness.

2. a decrescendo passage.

decrescendo

/ ˌdiːkrɪˈʃɛndəʊ /

noun

1. another word for diminuendo

Word History and Origins

Origin of decrescendo¹

1800–10; < Italian, gerund of decrescere; decrease

Word History and Origins

Origin of decrescendo¹

Italian, from decrescere to _decrease

Example Sentences

I thought my closet, like my life, would decrescendo with time, and it’s done the opposite.

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The story of this Black master of the ragtime genre can seem like one that never got far beyond the starting gate and ended with a sad decrescendo.

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The scenes that follow are long decrescendos; always, by the end, her energy is depleted.

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But he plans to return and build a cabin on family land when his music career reaches a decrescendo.

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The crescendos and decrescendos of Nas’ ”One Mic” exhibit a true musician’s grasp of how volume and intensity work in concert to create atmosphere.

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