Meaning & use

andante

adverb·Advanced

In music, performed at a moderately slow, walking tempo.

See it in a sentence

The pianist played the second movement andante, giving it a calm, flowing feel.

The conductor asked the strings to slow to andante before the final crescendo.

A note on using this word

Andante comes from the Italian word for 'walking' and describes a moderate tempo, slower than allegro but faster than adagio.

Words with a similar meaning

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Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

allegropresto

Another way to use it

2. noun

A musical movement or passage performed at a moderately slow tempo.

The symphony's andante is often considered its most emotionally moving section.

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