Crescendo vs Diminuendo

Side-by-side comparison of two musical terms.

	Crescendo	Diminuendo
Definition	Gradually getting louder	Gradually getting softer; decreasing in volume.
Category	dynamics	dynamics
Pronunciation	kreh-SHEN-doh	dih-mih-noo-EHN-doh
Origin	Italian	Italian
BPM	—	—
Synonyms	getting louder increasing volume	getting softer decreasing
Antonyms	diminuendo decrescendo	Crescendo Sforzando
Usage	The orchestra builds through a long crescendo over eight bars before the climax.	A long diminuendo over eight bars brings the movement to a whispering close.

Definition: Gradually getting louder
Category: dynamics
Pronunciation: kreh-SHEN-doh
Origin: Italian
Synonyms: getting louder increasing volume
Antonyms: diminuendo decrescendo
Usage: The orchestra builds through a long crescendo over eight bars before the climax.

Definition: Gradually getting softer; decreasing in volume.
Category: dynamics
Pronunciation: dih-mih-noo-EHN-doh
Origin: Italian
Synonyms: getting softer decreasing
Antonyms: Crescendo Sforzando
Usage: A long diminuendo over eight bars brings the movement to a whispering close.