ritardando

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adverb

Gradually decelerating the tempo of a piece of music, especially at the end of the piece.

Similar
ritardrallentandoritenutorit.decreasing
Opposite
accelerando
OriginItalian ritardando →
Scrabble 12
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Meanings

adverbritardando (not comparable)

alternative rit

  1. not comparableentertainmentGradually decelerating the tempo of a piece of music, especially at the end of the piece.
adjectiveritardando (not comparable)

alternative rit

  1. not comparableentertainmentHaving a gradually decelerating tempo.
nounritardando (plural ritardandos or ritardandi)

plural ritardandos · plural ritardandi · alternative rit

  1. entertainmentAn instance of gradually decelerating the tempo of a piece of music.

    Synonyms: ritard

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn instance of gradually decelerating the tempo of a piece of music.

Similar
ritard
Opposite
accelerando

More synonyms by meaning

adjective(music) gradually decreasing in tempo

Similar
rallentandoritenutorit.decreasing
Also see
decreasingrallentandoritardritenuto

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Italianritardando
  2. Englishritardando

Borrowed from Italian ritardando, gerund of ritardare (“to delay, to slow down”).

More words from Italian

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

ritardando. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ritardando

MLA

“ritardando.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ritardando. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ritardando,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ritardando.

Source: ritardando on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.