crescendo

1 of 2

noun

cre·​scen·​do krə-ˈshen-(ˌ)dō 

plural crescendos also crescendoes or crescendi krə-ˈshen-dē 

1

a

: a gradual increase

a crescendo of excitement

specifically : a gradual increase in volume of a musical passage

b

: the peak of a gradual increase : climax

… complaints about stifling smog conditions reach a crescendo …

—Down Beat

2

: a crescendo musical passage

crescendo intransitive verb

Illustration of crescendo

• mark indicating crescendo 2

crescendo

2 of 2

adverb or adjective

: with an increase in volume

—used as a direction in music

Synonyms

Noun

• acme
• apex
• apogee
• capstone
• climax
• crest
• crown
• culmination
• head
• height
• high noon
• high-water mark
• meridian
• ne plus ultra
• noon
• noontime
• peak
• pinnacle
• sum
• summit
• tip-top
• top
• zenith

Examples of crescendo in a Sentence

Noun

The noise rose to a crescendo.

excitement in the auditorium slowly built up and reached its crescendo when the star walked on stage

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And then adding the score enhancing the emotion in the script and in the performances, feeding the crescendo then moving into the final flashback of the episode all to the emotion of Tracy Chapman’s raspy voice. —Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 20 June 2025

The greatest gift for Giants fans is that Kuiper is still in the broadcast booth, still providing the crescendo calls on walk-off hits, still capturing the drama in the big moments and still finding quiet joy in all those sticky-faced, slice-of-life vignettes in the stands. —Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 19 June 2025

The pushback reached a crescendo on Thursday, when — with just a few hours notice — Bass assembled more than 100 people from religious, community, business and civic groups to denounce the raids. —David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2025

There are doubts // NCAAs crescendo with exciting Final Fours, but college basketball is broken. —Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Italian, noun derivative of crescendo "increasing," gerund of crescere "to increase, grow," going back to Latin crēscere "to come into existence, increase in size or numbers" — more at crescent entry 1

Adverb or adjective

borrowed from Italian — more at crescendo entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1775, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb Or Adjective

1807, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for crescendo

• arguendo
• innuendo
• endo
• tendo

Kids Definition

crescendo

noun

cre·​scen·​do

kri-ˈshen-dō

plural crescendos or crescendoes

1

: a gradual increase especially in the loudness of music

2

: the peak of a gradual increase

crescendo adverb or adjective