Caravaggio

American

[kar-uh-vah-joh, kah-rah-vahd-jaw] / ˌkær əˈvɑ dʒoʊ, ˌkɑ rɑˈvɑd dʒɔ /

noun

Michelangelo Merisi da c1565–1609?, Italian painter.

Caravaggio British

/ karaˈvaddʒo /

noun

Michelangelo Merisi da (mikeˈlandʒelo meˈriːzi da). 1571–1610, Italian painter, noted for his realistic depiction of religious subjects and for his dramatic use of chiaroscuro.

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

He painted The Beheading of St. John the Baptist, which still hangs in St. John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta, and is the only painting Caravaggio ever signed.

From Slate • Jun. 6, 2026

In 1607, a fugitive painter named Caravaggio arrived in Malta on the run from a murder warrant in Rome.

From Slate • Jun. 6, 2026

A native of Bologna, Carracci was renowned in his early career for such unidealized, close-up scenes of everyday life, and his first paintings speak to the moment, and market, that Caravaggio would cultivate.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

We sang songs together, danced in the corridor, hugged, discussed all manner of topics - from Caravaggio and Gaelic lessons to Donald Trump and dog walking - and laughed, lots.

From BBC • Sep. 30, 2025

Velázquez, he thought; some still lifes, maybe some Caravaggio.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023