What does "cadence" mean?
The act or state of declining or sinking.
Cadence
/ˈkeɪ.dn̩s/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act or state of declining or sinking.
- Grammar: cadence is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: accent, accentuation, acciaccatura, alexandrine.
- Useful contrasts: dissonance, halt, inertia.
- Usage evidence: Venezuelans speak with a very musical cadence.
How to use "cadence"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cadence" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cadence" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cadence" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cadence" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cadence" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accent" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cadence", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act or state of declining or sinking. countable, uncountable
"Now was the sun in western cadence low."
- 2 a recurrent rhythmical series wordnet
- 3 The measure or beat of movement. countable, uncountable
"Getting into a good jigging rhythm means making short quick jerks in a regular cadence that might average about one jerk every 1.5 to 2 seconds."
- 4 the close of a musical section wordnet
- 5 Balanced, rhythmic flow. countable, uncountable
"You find not the apostrophas, and so miss the accent: let me supervise the canzonet. Here are only numbers ratified; but, for the elegancy, facility, and golden cadence of poesy, caret."
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 (prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse wordnet
- 7 The general inflection or modulation of the voice, or of any sound. countable, uncountable
"Blustering winds, which all night long / Had roused the sea, now with hoarse cadence lull / Seafaring men o'erwatched."
- 8 A progression of at least two chords which conclude a piece of music, section or musical phrases within it. Sometimes referred to analogously as musical punctuation. countable, uncountable
- 9 A cadenza, or closing embellishment; a pause before the end of a strain, which the performer may fill with a flight of fancy. countable, uncountable
- 10 A fall in inflection of a speaker’s voice, such as at the end of a sentence. countable, uncountable
- 11 A dance move which ends a phrase. countable, uncountable
"The cadence in a galliard step refers to the final leap in a cinquepace sequence."
- 12 The rhythm and sequence of a series of actions. countable, uncountable
- 13 The number of steps per minute. countable, uncountable
- 14 The number of revolutions per minute of the cranks or pedals of a bicycle. countable, uncountable
- 15 A chant that is sung by military personnel while running or marching; a jody call. countable, uncountable
"call cadence"
- 16 Cadency. countable, uncountable
- 17 Harmony and proportion of movement, as in a well-managed horse. countable, uncountable
- 18 The number of strides per second of a racehorse, measured when the same foot/hoof strikes the ground countable, uncountable
- 19 The frequency of regular product releases. countable, uncountable
"In this third case, releasing more frequently, the PSI cadence becomes a planning cadence, rather than a release cadence."
Verb
- 1 To give a cadence to. transitive
"there was besides, in an already dominating and growing element, a motive that was stronger and more enduring than enthusiasm —an implacable antagonism which acted side by side with the cause of the Union as a perpetual impelling force against the social conditions of the South, controlling the counsels of the government, and cadencing the march of its armies to the chorus: John Brown's body lies mouldering in the grave, But his soul is marching on!"
- 2 To give structure to. transitive
"It was the Exile, however, which cadenced the rhythm of Jewish existence"
Proper Noun
- 1 A female given name from English.
Antonyms
Example
"Venezuelans speak with a very musical cadence."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cadence"?
Common synonyms include: accent, accentuation, acciaccatura, alexandrine, amphibrach, amphimacer.
How do you use "cadence" in a sentence?
Venezuelans speak with a very musical cadence.
How do you pronounce "cadence"?
Pronounced /ˈkeɪ.dn̩s/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Middle French cadence, from Old Italian cadenza (“conclusion of a phrase of music”), from Latin *cadentia (literally “a falling”), form of cadēns, the present participle of cadō (“I fall, I cease”). The Latin verb is inherited, via Proto-Italic *kadō, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱad-e- (“to fall”, thematic present). Doublet of cadenza and chance.
Etymology 2
From the word cadence.