ritardando

American  

[ree-tahr-dahn-doh, ree-tahr-dahn-daw] / ˌri tɑrˈdɑn doʊ, ˌri tɑrˈdɑn dɔ /

adjective

Music.

1. becoming gradually slower.

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ritardando British  

/ ˌrɪtɑːˈdændəʊ /

adjective

1.  rit.  another term for rallentando

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Etymology

Origin of ritardando

1805–15; < Italian, gerund of ritardare; see retard

Compare meaning

How does ritardando compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• rallentando vs. ritardando

Explanation

When you come to a passage marked ritardando in a piece of music, you know you need to start decreasing the tempo. Like most instructions in music, ritardando is Italian. It means "gradually slowing down," and is usually abbreviated to ritard. or rit. Like -endo, the ending -ando indicates a process, or a gradual change. Rallentando also means "gradually slowing down," but the two instructions are used differently. Rallentando usually applies when the tempo is about to change from a faster section to a slower one, whereas ritardando is used at the end of a piece, where it slows gradually to a complete stop.

Example Sentences

Indris also showed the ability to maintain a constant rhythm as they decreased the tempo of their songs, a process known as ritardando in classical music.

From Scientific American • Oct. 25, 2021

Kurt Herbert Adler, 75, is one veteran opera maestro whose tempos are non ritardando.

From Time Magazine Archive

But there are many phrases that demand a totally different sort of treatment; e.g., a ritardando in the first part instead of an accelerando.

From Essentials in Conducting by Gehrkens, Karl Wilson

At the end of Harley Street her walk, which had been rapid, achieved a ritardando and nearly came to a full close before she gained the doctor's door.

From Flames by Hichens, Robert Smythe

In the second part Beethoven introduced the phrase in A flat major, by a ritardando of the two preceding bars.

From Life of Beethoven by Schindler, Anton