ritardando

[ree-tahr-dahn-doh, ree-tahr-dahn-daw]

adjective

Music.

1. becoming gradually slower.

ritardando

/ ˌrɪtɑːˈdændəʊ /

adjective

1. rit. another term for rallentando

Word History and Origins

Origin of ritardando¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of ritardando¹

C19: from Italian, from ritardare to slow down

Example Sentences

They also noticed a gradual decrease in tempo, a common feature in human music called a “ritardando.”

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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.

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“Knowing all these words — for example, ‘crescendo,’ ‘diminuendo,’ ‘ritardando,’ which means to slow down, ‘fortissimo,’ which means play extremely loud” allowed him to “bring emotion to the piece, make it come alive,” he said.

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

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It closes with a drooping, yearning ritardando that quite prepares us for the next languishing measures.

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