Cadence
noun /ˈkeɪd(ə)ns/ — A harmonic resolution; the rhythmic flow of speech or music.
Definition
A sequence of chords marking the end of a musical phrase — a harmonic resolution that gives a sense of rest or conclusion; more broadly, the rhythmic beat and flow of speech, poetry, or movement.
Beyond the definition
Cadence is what makes music feel like it is breathing — the phrase that rises and falls toward resolution. In speech, a good cadence carries the listener forward, gives them the feeling of being in skilled hands. Lose your cadence and you lose your audience.
Origin & history
From Italian cadenza (a falling), from Latin cadere (to fall). The harmonic falling to resolution — a return to the tonic that sounds like an exhale after held breath.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The perfect cadence resolved the tension of the entire movement in four final chords.
Obama had an extraordinary cadence — his sentences built to pauses that felt earned.
She ran with a cadence that looked effortless — stride, breath, and rhythm in perfect relation.
Synonyms
rhythm, flow, beat, measure, resolution
Antonyms
dissonance, arrhythmia
Related words
Cadence vs rhythm
Cadence refers specifically to the rising and falling inflection of a voice or the melodic resolution at the end of a phrase. Rhythm is a broader term for the steady, repeated pulse or beat.
Compare this word
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Musician hovering hands over piano
An adult sits at a piano with hands hovering, anticipating the start of music in a still, quiet room.
The stillness and expectation capture the potential for rhythmic flow; the word encompasses both the resolution of a phrase and the overall beat that gives speech or movement its structure.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration