as in pinnacle
the highest part or point
excitement in the auditorium slowly built up and reached its crescendo when the star walked on stage
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to peak
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crescendo
Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
The film’s emotional crescendo comes in a bedroom scene between Lilleaas and co-star Reinsve, who plays her sister Nora — a hug that wasn’t fully scripted.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
To date, astronomers have managed to detect about 300 such mergers via their associated crescendos of gravitational waves.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
America’s new love affair with gambling reached a crescendo on Super Bowl Sunday, when federally regulated prediction market Kalshi processed an eye-popping $871 million in trading volume—most of it tied to the NFL’s biggest game of the year.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for crescendo
Noun
The pervasive use of less lethal tactics, caught on video and ricocheting across social media, began in late spring and summer in California and Oregon, expanded into Chicago in the fall and reached a crescendo in Minneapolis, where officers shot and killed two protesters last month.
—Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
The film’s emotional crescendo comes in a bedroom scene between Lilleaas and co-star Reinsve, who plays her sister Nora — a hug that wasn’t fully scripted.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
To date, astronomers have managed to detect about 300 such mergers via their associated crescendos of gravitational waves.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
America’s new love affair with gambling reached a crescendo on Super Bowl Sunday, when federally regulated prediction market Kalshi processed an eye-popping $871 million in trading volume—most of it tied to the NFL’s biggest game of the year.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for crescendo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crescendo
Noun
-
In those brief chapters, Americans built this nation from 13 humble colonies into the pinnacle of human civilization and human freedom.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
In those brief chapters, Americans built this nation from 13 humble colonies into the pinnacle of human civilization and human freedom, the strongest, wealthiest, most powerful, most successful nation in all of history.—
TIME Staff,
Time,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The team found that the temperatures peak between 3,000 and 4,000 kilometres above the cloud tops, whilst ion densities reach their maximum around 1,000 kilometres.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
-
First comes the warmup that begins Friday, when temperatures at the Orlando International Airport are expected to peak at 87 degrees, according to the NWS.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Once at the second point, the Dragon will briefly pause its approach and then proceed directly to a docking with the zenith or space-facing side of the Harmony node.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
14 Feb. 2026
-
No preventive war Debate about overly permissive use of force reached its zenith in the lead-up to the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq in 2003.—
Gerard F. Powers,
The Conversation,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Beginning July 1, however, private cars now face a three-hour parking limit at Logan Pass, a popular viewpoint at the culmination of Going-to-the-Sun Road.—
Outside,
Outside,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The games were originally teased at the culmination of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The team found that the temperatures peak between 3,000 and 4,000 kilometres above the cloud tops, whilst ion densities reach their maximum around 1,000 kilometres.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
-
At least one thing is certain about the playoffs — the Mission League is tops.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Finish with your favorite heeled boots to add height and let the coat truly shine.—
Amanda Le,
InStyle,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Take your garden to new heights with vining plants that add quick color to fence lines.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The monologue, about a Katrina hero known as Miss Pat who fed neighbors during the storm, became the climax of the evening, especially after the real-life Miss Pat came onstage.—
Sarah Hepola,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The band has never sounded this melodic before; Wroth in particular brings a constant dynamism to his guitar solos, often layering two and reaching climaxes that refuse to collapse into just a flurry of notes, building off Phantom Slaughter’s keyboard melodies with a real sense of drama.—
Sam Goldner,
Pitchfork,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But this discovery confirms that these creatures were globally distributed, filling apex-predator roles across the ancient supercontinents.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Except her shell is rather flat compared to others’, its spiral unremarkable, its apex nearly unnoticeable.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crescendo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crescendo. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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