coda
7 synonyms and 2 antonyms for coda, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A passage that brings a piece of music to a close, added after the main structure has finished.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun music
A passage that brings a piece of music to a close, added after the main structure has finished.
“The symphony ends with a quiet coda for strings alone.”
2. noun
A concluding part of a book, film, speech or series of events that rounds it off or adds a final reflection.
“A short coda describes what became of the family twenty years later.”
Opposites
How to use coda
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Common in music criticism and book reviewing; slightly literary in general prose. The plural is codas.
Etymology
From Italian coda meaning tail, from Latin cauda.
Full origin of coda →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a coda and an epilogue?
An epilogue is a section of a story set after the main events, usually in prose. A coda is broader: it can be musical, narrative or figurative, and it functions as a rounding-off rather than necessarily a jump forward in time.
What is the difference between a coda and a cadenza?
A cadenza is a showy solo passage, often improvised, that displays a performer's skill before the ending. A coda is the closing section itself and is written into the piece.
Does CODA in capitals mean the same thing?
No. CODA as an acronym stands for child of deaf adults and describes a hearing person raised by deaf parents. It is unrelated to the musical word.