Word
cadence
Phoneticsca·dence
US/ˈkeɪdəns/
UK/kˈeɪdəns/
Definition
n. the natural rhythm or rise and fall of a voice or a piece of music. It can also mean the regular beat of a physical activity, like walking or rowing.
n. the rhythmic flow or sequence of sounds in language or music; specifically, the modulation of the voice or a progression of chords that concludes a musical phrase.
Examples
“The poet read his work with a slow, steady cadence.”
“The drill sergeant used a loud, rhythmic cadence to keep the soldiers marching in perfect time.”
“The speaker's natural cadence was so soothing that the audience remained captivated, even though the technical details of the lecture were exceptionally dense and difficult to follow.”
Examples
simple
“The poet read his work with a slow, steady cadence.”
contextual
“The drill sergeant used a loud, rhythmic cadence to keep the soldiers marching in perfect time.”
complex
“The speaker's natural cadence was so soothing that the audience remained captivated, even though the technical details of the lecture were exceptionally dense and difficult to follow.”
Usage
Countable when referring to specific rhythmic patterns; uncountable when referring to the general quality of rhythm.
Real-World Examples
“Alpha has achieved several successful launches, but setbacks and failures have kept Firefly from establishing a routine launch cadence.” “Over the last decade, many people in the US launch industry have issued forecasts that have been far too optimistic, and so far, only SpaceX has been able to rapidly increase its cadence.” Etymology
From the word cadence.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/cadence