crescendo
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crescendo
- /kɹɪˈʃɛn.dəʊ/ UK
- /kɹəˈʃɛn.dəʊ/ UK
- /kɹɪˈʃɛn.doʊ/ US
- /kɹəˈʃɛn.doʊ/ US
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Italian crescendo, gerund of crescere (“to grow, to increase”).
noun crescendos · crescendi · crescendoes · cres. · cresc.
- An instruction to play gradually more loudly, denoted by a long, narrow angle with its apex on the left ( < ), by musicians called a hairpin. As he came into the window / It was the sound of a crescendo
- A gradual increase of anything, especially to a dramatic climax. Their fighting rose in a fearsome crescendo.
- The climax of a gradual increase. Their arguing rose to a fearsome crescendo.
Similar: amplification, ascension, boost, gain, growth, increase, loudening, spike, surge, upsurge · Opposite: decrescendo, diminuendo, climax, conclusion, decrease, fall
verb crescendoes · crescendos · crescendoing · crescendoed · cres.
- To increase in intensity; to reach or head for a crescendo. The band crescendoed and then suddenly went silent.
adverb cres. · cresc.
- Gradually increasing in force or loudness.
Thesaurus
noun
Similar: amplification, ascension, boost, gain, growth, increase, loudening, spike, surge, upsurge · Opposite: decrescendo, diminuendo, climax, conclusion, decrease, fall
Translations
Every language
noun figuratively: gradual increase
| Español | crescendo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 高まり takamari |
| Français | aller crescendo |
| Italiano | crescendo |
| Ελληνικά | κρεσέντο kresénto |
noun music: instruction to play gradually more loudly
| Español | crescendo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 크레셴도 keuresyendo |
| 日本語 | クレッシェンド kuresshendo |
| 中文 | 漸強 /渐强 jiànqiáng |
| Português | crescendo |
| Deutsch | Crescendo |
| Italiano | crescendo |
| Ελληνικά | κρεσέντο kresénto |
| Русский | креще́ндо kreščéndo |
noun climax of a gradual increase
| 日本語 | 最高潮 saikōchō |
|---|
Talk about this word "crescendo." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/crescendo. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. crescendo. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/crescendo "crescendo." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/crescendo.Cite this
@misc{crescendo_2026,
title = {crescendo},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/crescendo},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
