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
Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Final game of 2025 regular season is a prime-time prize befitting such a crescendo.
—Greg Cote
january 1, Miami Herald, 1 Jan. 2026
Those complaints reached a crescendo in March, when the Senate minority leader helped Republicans avert a shutdown.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 31 Dec. 2025
After the best of the album’s crescendos, Ellis strips everything away again, pining for a character named Annie.
—Hannah Jocelyn, Pitchfork, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crescendo
Noun
It’s been almost three weeks since D’Anton Lynn left for Penn State, and the search is finally reaching a crescendo.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Final game of 2025 regular season is a prime-time prize befitting such a crescendo.
—Greg Cote
january 1, Miami Herald, 1 Jan. 2026
Those complaints reached a crescendo in March, when the Senate minority leader helped Republicans avert a shutdown.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 31 Dec. 2025
After the best of the album’s crescendos, Ellis strips everything away again, pining for a character named Annie.
—Hannah Jocelyn, Pitchfork, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crescendo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crescendo
Noun
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But his chapter in the pinnacle of motorsport ended with less success, his final win coming in 2012 with McLaren.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
-
The son of former University of Pittsburgh and USC coach Paul Hackett had worked his whole life to get to the pinnacle of his business, and failed massively.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Temperatures will peak around 31 degrees Monday, allowing Sunday’s snow to remain on the ground, National Weather Service meteorologists predicted.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Every locality and season has peak hours or periods when the most people on your power grid are using electricity and water.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
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During her three decades at the family business, Donatella Versace took this philosophy to its zenith, pairing outrageous designs with just the right celebrity, to proclaim that a plunging neckline, or a sparkly jumpsuit, was a statement of empowerment.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
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States Are Taking Control From Markets As an economist, Fatih Birol underlines that the era of open, supply-and-demand energy markets, which found its zenith in the 1990s and 2000s, is effectively over.—
Scott Montgomery,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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For Morgan, her win is a culmination of an epic comeback from injury that kept her out most of the second half of 2025.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
1 Feb. 2026
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If Lola Heatherton anticipated every O’Hara artist character to come, the show’s matriarch, Moira Rose, represents their apex and culmination.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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On the runway, the ensemble—which consisted of a cream-colored ruffled halter top and silk ball skirt—was shown with fabric connecting the top and the skirt, but Jenner opted to bare her stomach in between, making the skirt ultra low-rise.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The cap-sleeve top feels polished enough for sightseeing, while the relaxed bottoms keep things comfortable.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The ball of the shoe to the heel has a tapered height, with the heel reaching three inches for a little extra thickness.—
Olivia Dubyak,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Yabusele is a 6-foot-7 forward who makes up for a slight lack of height with a powerful frame and aggressive approach around the basket.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Initially, neither party trusts the other, and the surprising but emotionally logical betrayal that prompts the film’s high-stakes climax carries a lovingly sincere intention.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
31 Jan. 2026
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Nominally in the spirit of ’90s from-hell thrillers, The Patient is a riveting character drama that offers some queasy white-knuckle suspense on the way to a thrilling climax.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This weakening of the teeth of the apex predators could affect the broader marine ecosystem, too.—
Justin Klawans,
TheWeek,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Yamagami’s sister’s testimony was, as measured by the number of weeping observers, the emotional apex of the trial.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crescendo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crescendo. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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