crescendo Hear it!

crescendo Definition

cre·scendo (kri s̸hendō′)

adjective, adverb

with a gradual increase in loudness: often used as a musical direction, indicated by the sign 

Etymology: It, ger. of crescere: see crescent

noun pl. -·dos′

  1. Music
    1. a gradual increase in loudness
    2. a crescendo passage
  2. any gradual increase in force, intensity, etc.

intransitive verb -·doed′, -·do′·ing

to increase gradually in loudness or intensity

crescendo Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • reach: The Ripper was, by now, reaching a crescendo of violence.
  • rise: Rising crescendo Milligan: ( vicar ) It started in Brighton - 1898 - the year of the great Edison Bell.
  • build: I'd got to the point where I'd got a 20-minute, 40-minute, hour-long set that built crescendo and got laughs.
  • create: The writer makes the reader wait for this, the relative clauses in commas ( analyzed above ) creating a crescendo.
  • deafen: A banner rolls down an office block and the cheering reaches a deafening crescendo.
  • become: The page of history becomes a long crescendo of battle.

Preposition: at

end: Emerson continues to add a variety of keyboard sounds until the crescendo at the end.

Adjective modifier

  • orchestral: Most importantly, that is achieved without saccharine orchestral crescendos or larger-than-life displays of emotion.
  • gradual: This gives way to a quieter passage but which leads to the most thrilling gradual crescendo.
  • dramatic: Being an Italian opera, the work was imbued with great passion, each act rising to a dramatic crescendo.
  • final: That is, until the final crescendo, which ties up all the loose ends of the earlier exploits.
  • great: A roar rose like in a great crescendo from the crowd.
  • emotional: Its ending, as ambulancewoman Kay discovers the fate of her lover Helen, is my personal emotional crescendo.

Modifies a noun

  • pain: Few injuries show crescendo pain apart from a stress fracture.
  • effect: The crescendo effect was simply amazing and the crowd loved it.

Noun used with modifier

  • guitar: It sounded fantastic and came to an end with a thrashing guitar crescendo.
  • cymbal: Vincent rides cymbal crescendos and pensive pattering to equally tingling ends, his restrained electronic gurgles providing ambiguous accents.

Preposition: of

  • noise: A big gong bursts into a crescendo of noise.
  • sound: Themes recur throughout the book ( Corfu; the sky; crescendos of sound; alcohol ).
  • violence: The Ripper was, by now, reaching a crescendo of violence.

Browse dictionary entries near crescendo

  1. crepuscule
  2. crepuscular
  3. crept
  4. crepitate
  5. crepey
  6. crepe rubber
  7. crepe paper
  8. crepe de Chine
  9. crepe
  10. creosote bush
  1. crescent
  2. crescent wrench
  3. crescive
  4. cresol
  5. cress
  6. cresset
  7. Cressida
  8. Cressy
  9. crest
  10. crested