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Glite Dictionary
🔉 A gradual decrease 🔉 Getting quieter 🔉 To become softer
to decrescendo

to decrescendo

7.7
To become gradually quieter
  • verb
  • /ˌdeɪkrɪˈʃɛndoʊ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : decrecer
  • To allow the text to dominate, the female part should decrescendo at the long note while the men crescendo and vice versa.

Examples

  • During the final movement, the conductor instructed the musicians to decrescendo dramatically.

  • As the song progressed, the orchestra began to decrescendo, creating a soft ending to the piece.

  • Put a crescendo and decrescendo on the board.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The singer skillfully decrescendoed her final note, leaving the audience in silence.

Synonyms

to dwindle
vsto decrescendo
72 5.1

To become smaller or less in number over time

describes lowering sound level rather than shrinking quantity or number
to fade away
vsto decrescendo
69 3.0

To become weaker and then disappear over time

focuses on reducing sound level rather than full disappearance
to die down
vsto decrescendo
46 2.7

To become less strong or loud over time

is specifically about gradual quieting in musical sound
to taper
vsto decrescendo
18 4.2

To become gradually less in size or amount

applies to gradual lowering of musical volume rather than general decrease
to fade out
vsto decrescendo
15 3.9

Gradually become harder to see or quieter until it disappears

is about getting quieter without necessarily vanishing
to taper off
vsto decrescendo
9 4.5

To become smaller or weaker over time until it stops

refers to a steady decrease in musical loudness, not stopping actions

Antonyms

to crescendo
  • Specialized
1 6.3

To become gradually louder or stronger

How Loud

to scream
∞ 1.0
to call
∞ 1.0
to decrescendo
  • Specialized
7.7
to speak
  • Literature
569 6.5
to whisper
586 1.0

Surface Forms

decrescendo infinitive
decrescendoed past
decrescendoed past participle
decrescendoing present participle
decrescendos third person singular

Etymology

Decrescendo comes from de- ('down') + crescere ('to grow'), which gives the idea of moving 'down' in loudness. So to decrescendo is to slowly grow quieter.