Crescendo

//kɹɪˈʃɛn.doʊ// adv, noun, verb

adv, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An instruction to play gradually more loudly, denoted by a long, narrow angle with its apex on the left ( < ), by musicians called a hairpin.
  2. 2
    (music) a gradual increase in loudness wordnet
  3. 3
    A gradual increase of anything, especially to a dramatic climax. figuratively

    "Their fighting rose in a fearsome crescendo."

  4. 4
    The climax of a gradual increase. figuratively, nonstandard

    "Their arguing rose to a fearsome crescendo."

Verb
  1. 1
    To increase in intensity; to reach or head for a crescendo.

    "The band crescendoed and then suddenly went silent."

  2. 2
    grow louder wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    (music) gradually increasing in volume wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    Gradually increasing in force or loudness. not-comparable

Synonyms

All synonyms
a cappellaabbandonoaccessaccessionaccrescendoaccretion

Example

More examples

"The noise had reached a crescendo."

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian crescendo, gerund of crescere (“to grow, to increase”).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.