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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to peak
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of crescendo
Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
In recent weeks, furious Havana residents have signaled their displeasure with the outages in nightly crescendos of clanging pots and pans.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Before the fretting reaches a head, one of Barbieri’s backing oscillators creeps forward into a nimble major-key ostinato that sounds like it was lifted from a Lorenzo Senni daydream, transforming a slight shift in timbre and time signature into a crescendo of new hope.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 2 Mar. 2026
When to See the 2026 Total Lunar Eclipse A total lunar eclipse runs through several phases, and the blood moon is the crescendo.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for crescendo
Noun
The boos were deafening when the Miami Hurricanes ran onto the Enterprise Center floor for warmups before their NCAA Tournament opening game against Missouri late Friday night and reached a crescendo during player introductions.
—Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
In recent weeks, furious Havana residents have signaled their displeasure with the outages in nightly crescendos of clanging pots and pans.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Before the fretting reaches a head, one of Barbieri’s backing oscillators creeps forward into a nimble major-key ostinato that sounds like it was lifted from a Lorenzo Senni daydream, transforming a slight shift in timbre and time signature into a crescendo of new hope.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 2 Mar. 2026
When to See the 2026 Total Lunar Eclipse A total lunar eclipse runs through several phases, and the blood moon is the crescendo.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for crescendo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crescendo
Noun
-
In a new lawsuit, one of the first three women to officiate an NFL game describes her three years at the pinnacle of her profession as a descent into the grip of a sexist institution unable to treat a woman as an equal.—
Larry Neumeister,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
But coach Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks quickly reminded TCU that there are still levels to this, and the Horned Frogs are still a tier or two away from joining South Carolina, UConn, Texas and UCLA at the pinnacle of the sport.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The full Euphoria season-three trailer is finally here, and the drama did not peak in high school.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Other players peak around age 27 or later.—
Dianna Russini,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Klosterman believes right now is likely the zenith.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Miami Music Week is at its zenith this weekend, its cacophonous diversions and decibels aimed at the spring break crowd and other ears that haven’t been around for very long, highlighted by the DJ bonfire known as Ultra Music Festival.—
Ben Crandell,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The bill’s passage was the culmination of a yearslong push by Israel’s far right to escalate punishment against Palestinians convicted of attacking Israelis.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Masao is the culmination of owner Nick Hanke's 20 years of training under a master sushi chef, chef Phil Shires' desire to end his cooking career with a bang, and a whole lot of love.—
Lucia Cheng,
Des Moines Register,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
After Allegiance pushed across two runs in the top of the sixth, Grace Prep used singles by Liam Jaime and Buchanan with three walks that produced three runs and the game was called.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Read on for the top 10 in descending order.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Stardom is more nuanced than height and weight and wingspan, but Williams clearly has the physical gifts and general profile of a solid NBA player.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Similar to Jupiter's true superstorms, their activity lasted for months, but unlike true superstorms, their cloud towers only reached modest heights.—
Charles Q. Choi,
Space.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There’s no question that the series delivers a climax that more than lives up to the title.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
-
His color choices in the film’s emotional climax are the subtle, purposeful craft work that the cinematography branch voters live for.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Those twenty-five years or so were the apex of Washington Consensus conservatism, of neoconservative interventions abroad and neoliberal economic policy at home.—
Suzanne Schneider,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The turn of the millennium is when vodka was at the apex of its cultural power.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crescendo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crescendo. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
