brio
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of brio
First recorded in 1725–35; from Italian, from Spanish brío “energy, determination,” from assumed Celtic brīgos; compare Old Irish bríg (feminine) “power, strength, force,” Middle Welsh bri (masculine) “honor, dignity, authority”
Explanation
If someone's got brio, they're full of spirited enthusiasm. You know that counselor who gets the whole camp incredibly excited about playing Capture the Flag? She's got brio! Energy, vivacity, and style are all important elements of brio. If you do something with brio, you bring all of your zest and vigor to it. If you sing a karaoke song with brio, you might get the whole room singing along and applauding. And your uncle might be known for telling scary campfire stories with brio, using spooky voices and elaborate hand gestures. In Italian, brio means "mettle, fire, or life," from a Celtic word meaning "strength."
Vocabulary lists containing brio
Middlemarch
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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
All this is conveyed with immense brio, introducing many fascinating insights and characters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
He’s played with oft-drunken brio by Nick Offerman, whose voice Makowsky says he heard in his head as soon as he started writing the role: “I was like, it has to be Nick Offerman.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2025
My experience didn’t quite live up to Rich’s lavish praise, but I was indeed dazzled by Greenberg’s New York wit, which struck me as an acutely sensitive, off-angle version of George S. Kaufman’s Broadway brio.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2025
She noted, however, that the "the novel is stripped of the endless, inventive discursions into folk-tale, backstory and verbal brio that characterise the best of Marquez".
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2024
A new clue would soon be given and at once Oscar was off again with renewed brio to finer effects.
From Oscar Wilde, His Life and Confessions Volume 2 by Harris, Frank
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
