Illustration of decrescendo
- mark indicating decrescendo 2
decrescendo
1 of 2noun
de·cre·scen·do ˌdā-krə-ˈshen-(ˌ)dō 
plural decrescendos
1
: a gradual decrease in volume of a musical passage
2
: a decrescendo musical passage
decrescendo
2 of 2adverb or adjective
: with a decrease in volume —used as a direction in music
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Zachary Lewis, cleveland, 7 Jan. 2022 The general idea is that one hand is used to keep time and the other is used to signal expression — bringing in the cellos, encouraging the second violins to play more loudly, reminding the winds of a sudden decrescendo. Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2019 Jean-Claude and his men take hold of one another’s forearms to raise their voices together, lifting and darting like birds, then diving in a sudden decrescendo that ends the song by guillotine. National Geographic, 24 July 2019 When at long last the volume drops from 11 and Mr. Preston reflects on his 10-year arc, the epilogue is a contemplative decrescendo of hard-won humility and gratitude. Forrest Pritchard, WSJ, 13 Apr. 2018 The extended decrescendo ending -- also sans vocals -- is as breathtaking as the build-up. Zach Dionne, Billboard, 11 Sep. 2017 In Iraq, the English word hello has become entrenched in the parting protocol, usually as a decrescendo—HELLO, Nour Malas, WSJ, 21 Mar. 2017 At a time when Silicon Valley has been forced to publicly grapple with issues of sexism, the decrescendo of Mayer’s tenure is doubly unfortunate; there are so few female leaders in tech, and Mayer was seen by many as a female leader where few exist. Maya Kosoff, The Hive, 13 June 2017 See More
Noun
Each of the four movements Thursday traced a giant decrescendo, coming on strong with cacophonous, often shrill music and slowly ebbing away in a dazzling variety of textures and colors, all of them sparse and serene. Zachary Lewis, cleveland, 7 Jan. 2022 The general idea is that one hand is used to keep time and the other is used to signal expression — bringing in the cellos, encouraging the second violins to play more loudly, reminding the winds of a sudden decrescendo. Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2019 Jean-Claude and his men take hold of one another’s forearms to raise their voices together, lifting and darting like birds, then diving in a sudden decrescendo that ends the song by guillotine. National Geographic, 24 July 2019 When at long last the volume drops from 11 and Mr. Preston reflects on his 10-year arc, the epilogue is a contemplative decrescendo of hard-won humility and gratitude. Forrest Pritchard, WSJ, 13 Apr. 2018 The extended decrescendo ending -- also sans vocals -- is as breathtaking as the build-up. Zach Dionne, Billboard, 11 Sep. 2017 In Iraq, the English word hello has become entrenched in the parting protocol, usually as a decrescendo—HELLO, Nour Malas, WSJ, 21 Mar. 2017 At a time when Silicon Valley has been forced to publicly grapple with issues of sexism, the decrescendo of Mayer’s tenure is doubly unfortunate; there are so few female leaders in tech, and Mayer was seen by many as a female leader where few exist. Maya Kosoff, The Hive, 13 June 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Italian, literally, decreasing, from Latin decrescendum, gerund of decrescere
First Known Use
Noun
1877, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adverb Or Adjective
1877, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
decrescendo
noun
de·cre·scen·do ˌdā-krə-ˈshen-dō
: a gradual decrease in the loudness of music
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