Diminuendo

//dɪˌmɪnjuːˈɛndəʊ// adj, adv, noun

adj, adv, noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A dynamic mark directing that a passage is to be played gradually more softly
  2. 2
    (music) a gradual decrease in loudness wordnet
  3. 3
    A passage having this mark
  4. 4
    The gradual dying away of something. figuratively

    "Thus, in "Flavia and Her Artists" (1905), for example, a fiction of consonance in diminuendo, the French subtext states a set of harmonies (the young American returned from France) and cacophonies (the supercilious French art critic, Roux) shedding light on the main text with its own consonances of intergenerationsl friendship, marital loyalty, artistic pleasure, and joyful lesbianism."

Adjective
  1. 1
    describing a passage having this mark
Adjective
  1. 1
    (music) gradually decreasing in volume wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    played in this style

Synonyms

All synonyms
a cappellaabbreviationadagioallegroandanteastringency

Example

More examples

"Thus, in "Flavia and Her Artists" (1905), for example, a fiction of consonance in diminuendo, the French subtext states a set of harmonies (the young American returned from France) and cacophonies (the supercilious French art critic, Roux) shedding light on the main text with its own consonances of intergenerationsl friendship, marital loyalty, artistic pleasure, and joyful lesbianism."

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian diminuendo.

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