crescendos
Gradual volume increases
Crescendos is the plural of crescendo, a musical term for a gradual increase in loudness.
The word extends to any building intensity: The argument reached a crescendo when she threw the vase.
Often misused to mean the peak itself rather than the buildup to it—strictly speaking, the crescendo is the rising, not the climax.
Point of greatest intensity
- peakUtmost height attained
- fortissimoVery loud, musically
- swellsEnlarges or billows
- dynamicsStudy of forces
orchestral · symphonic · build · intensity · volume · loudness · passages · movements
Gradual accumulation over time
- culminationHighest or final point
- apexUppermost point or culmination
- zenithPoint straight overhead
- mountingSteadily increasing in degree
escalation · intensification · rising · tension · drama · momentum · surge · wave
Intense emotional drive
- excitementState of eager enthusiasm
- suspenseAnxious uncertainty about outcomes
- anticipationState of awaiting something
- fervorIntense emotional intensity
ecstasy · frenzy · hysteria · euphoria · catharsis · release · overwhelming · sweeping
Stretched or strained state
- suspenseAnxious uncertainty about outcomes
- plotStoryline or land parcel
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
- pacingRate of movement
dramatic · arc · conflict · resolution · denouement · thriller · cliffhanger · chapter
climax
Point of greatest intensity
- peakUtmost height attained
- fortissimoVery loud, musically
- swellsEnlarges or billows
dynamics · orchestral · symphonic · build · intensity · volume · loudness · passages · movements · finale
buildup
Gradual accumulation over time
- culminationHighest or final point
- apexUppermost point or culmination
- zenithPoint straight overhead
mounting · escalation · intensification · rising · tension · drama · momentum · surge · wave · height
passion
Intense emotional drive
- excitementState of eager enthusiasm
- suspenseAnxious uncertainty about outcomes
- anticipationState of awaiting something
fervor · ecstasy · frenzy · hysteria · euphoria · catharsis · release · overwhelming · sweeping · mounting
tension
Stretched or strained state
- suspenseAnxious uncertainty about outcomes
- plotStoryline or land parcel
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
pacing · dramatic · arc · conflict · resolution · denouement · thriller · cliffhanger · chapter · scene
crescendosdiminuendos
Gradual reductions in loudness
decrescendos · diminuendo · decrescendo · morendo · dies away
crescendosdiminuendos
Gradual reductions in loudness
decrescendos · fades · wanes · ebbs · dwindles
crescendo, crescendoed, crescendoing, crescendoes, decrescendo, decrescendos