Crescendo Meaning
/kɹɪˈʃɛn.dəʊ/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn instruction to play gradually more loudly, denoted by a long, narrow angle with its apex on the left ( < ), by musicians called a hairpin.
nounA gradual increase of anything, especially to a dramatic climax.
Sentence Examples
The noise had reached a crescendo.
The noise had reached its crescendo.
The overwhelming crescendo by the orchestra was exciting.
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The orchestra reached a powerful ____ that thrilled the entire audience in the hall.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Italian crescendo, gerund of crescere (“to grow, to increase”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"With the Stoke supporters jeering Ziv's every subsequent touch, the pantomime atmosphere created by the home crowd reached a crescendo when Ziv was shown a straight red shortly after the break in extraordinary circumstances."
— 2011 October 20, Michael da Silva, “Stoke 3 - 0 Macc Tel-Aviv”, in BBC Sport:
"And similarly, they are full of tricks: when the imagined stranger calls your name, the music crescendos romantically; when the video freezes on your laugh, it immediately desaturates the candid photo, making you look old-timey or famous or dead."
— 2021 November 1, Haley Nahman, “I got a camera to spy on my cat – and it made me question everything about myself”, in The Guardian:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The orchestra reached a powerful ____ that thrilled the entire audience in the hall.